Downstairs in the living room, Cheng Yifei and Yu Qing sat facing each other. The doors and windows were tightly shut; the chirping of birds and barking of dogs outside could not break the deathly silence within the house.
Yu Qing had originally intended to let Cheng Yifei speak first, but it turned out the other man had more patience than he did.
Left with no choice, he took the initiative to ask, "How much do you remember about what happened after you got drunk last night?"
Cheng Yifei didn't make a sound. He watched Yu Qing, trying to deduce what might have occurred.
"Don't just sit there in silence!" Yu Qing had spent the entire night thinking, replaying every detail of the three of them together in the past. The more he thought, the more he felt Cheng Yifei’s intentions toward Fei Cheng weren't pure!
Cheng Yifei asked him, "What do you want me to say?"
Yu Qing’s gaze shifted downward, staring at the sofa Cheng Yifei was sitting on for a moment before saying fiercely, "How much of last night do you remember?"
Cheng Yifei lowered his eyes in thought. After a moment, he said, "Are you referring to what happened on the sofa?"
Yu Qing immediately leaped up, pointing at him in agitation. "You—you—you! You remember, and yet you're still this calm! You even touched Chengcheng’s face when you woke up just now! You!!!" Suddenly, a certain possibility occurred to Yu Qing. He forced himself to calm down quickly and sat back down, hands resting on his knees. His index fingers tapped incessantly against his kneecaps. His voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something. "Yifei, do you... do you like Fei Cheng?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Cheng Yifei remained unfazed, trying to bait more information out of Yu Qing. He actually didn't remember a thing about last night.
Yu Qing thought he was feigning ignorance. He scratched his hair and stood up to pace around. "Do you like Chengcheng or not? It’s one thing that you wouldn't let go of him last night, but you even kissed him!"
Cheng Yifei’s pupils constricted sharply! A moment later, he said nonchalantly, "I was drunk. It was just a kiss."
Yu Qing let out a sharp hiss. "You call that 'just a kiss'?! You were practically a hair's breadth away from stripping his clothes and devouring him! Who the hell uses... uses their tongue for a simple kiss?!"
Cheng Yifei snapped his head up.
He had never even done that while sober! His drunk self had certainly lucked out!
*Damn.*
Yu Qing assumed he was also shocked. He walked over and sat down beside him, hesitating repeatedly before saying, "Yifei, do you know you like Chengcheng, or do you not know? Or is this all a misunderstanding and you actually don't like him?"
Cheng Yifei glanced at him, still preoccupied with the fact that his drunken self had taken advantage of Fei Cheng.
Yu Qing was losing his mind with anxiety. This feeling was like having someone flirt with you—they were tender and kind in every way, radiating hormones all over the place, but they just wouldn't say they liked you. If you went to confess, they’d just smile and stay silent. Wasn't it frustrating? Wasn't it annoying? Wasn't it just plain hateful!
*Just give me a straight answer on whether you like him or not!!!*
Cheng Yifei lifted his eyelids and looked at Yu Qing. "Just because I kissed him, I have to like him the way a boy likes a girl?"
Yu Qing was speechless. Saying yes felt wrong, but saying no felt wrong too!
Cheng Yifei knew Yu Qing very well and knew exactly how to dispel his suspicions. He asked back with a sharp gaze, "Did you intentionally get me drunk just for this little show?"
"Hey! What do you mean 'for this show'! I just wanted to get you drunk to ask why you were so happy yesterday. Who told you to act so weird last night? Fine, you got drunk, but why did you have to hold Chengcheng and kiss him..." Yu Qing hadn't slept all night; his brain was a bit sluggish now. He began to wonder if he was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Cheng Yifei gave a cold huff. "Who was the one pushing the drinks so enthusiastically last night? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have done something so ridiculous."
Recalling his own behavior in pushing the alcohol, Yu Qing actually found Cheng Yifei’s words logical. After all, he *was* drunk. He rubbed his earlobe and said, "Fine, it’s my fault. I’ll never force drinks on you again! But, in your heart... don't you feel... a bit 'whatever' about it? You kissed Fei Cheng—"
"It already happened. What good would it do even if I felt uncomfortable?" Cheng Yifei swept a glance at him, his expression full of irritation.
Yu Qing sighed. Looking at Cheng Yifei’s "ascetic" face, all his strange ideas vanished. It turned out the strangest person was himself. How could he have thought Cheng Yifei liked Fei Cheng in *that* way? He knew they were both drunk; he was the only sober one among the three.
*Sigh, I really drank too much. My brain is pickled. How could a guy like another guy!*
Chengcheng liked girls; he was always surrounded by them. Cheng Yifei had nothing but studying on his mind—he was practically asexual. So his brain must have short-circuited last night. It definitely short-circuited!
Yu Qing fell into a state of self-reflection.
Cheng Yifei was in a bad mood. Frowning slightly, he dismissed him. "Get lost and go sleep in the guest room."
Yu Qing was exhausted. Now that the puzzle in his heart was solved, he felt even sleepier. He nodded, his eyes half-closed as he fumbled his way into the first-floor guest room.
Cheng Yifei was left alone in the living room again. The scene felt strangely familiar.
Summer was truly too sweltering.
Cheng Yifei turned on the floor fan and let it blow directly on him for about ten minutes before getting up to wash.
Outside the window, the cicadas were buzzing distractingly. After washing up, he went to the kitchen to steam a bag of frozen dumplings. Only then did he dry his hair and head upstairs to wake Fei Cheng.
When Fei Cheng was pulled up, his face was a mask of "Who am I? Where am I?" Once he realized the person in front of him was Cheng Yifei, he clutched his head and lay back down, rolling halfway over. His voice was raspy and thick with sleep. "Brother Cheng, my head hurts. I don't want to get up, I don't want to get up!"
Cheng Yifei said nothing. He tucked the quilt around him, then pulled the curtains open and turned off the fan. He sat on the edge of the bed, drying his hair while watching the back of Fei Cheng’s head.
Before long, Fei Cheng was so hot he kicked off the quilt. He flipped over onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow to block out the piercing sunlight. After another moment, he finally couldn't take it anymore. He wrinkled his nose and climbed out of bed, looking utterly resentful.
Cheng Yifei smiled and pushed him toward the bathroom to wash up and shower.
Fei Cheng washed away the smell of alcohol and sat listlessly at the dining table. The floor fan behind him oscillated, blowing air his way. He glanced at Cheng Yifei in the kitchen, his fair, slender fingers idly tracing patterns on his glass. He asked in a lazy voice, "Brother Cheng, are you going to your parents' place again this summer break?"
Cheng Yifei came out carrying the dumplings and milk. He sat down opposite him and said, "Yeah. My train ticket is for tomorrow."
"Oh~" Fei Cheng picked up his chopsticks and started eating dumplings. By the time he reached the ninth one, he said to Cheng Yifei, "I want to get a summer job. I've already received the ID card I applied for, but it seems I'm not old enough."
Cheng Yifei looked at him. "Why the sudden urge to get a summer job? Do you want the experience? Usually, factory work is just assembly line labor. You stand or sit all day, repeating the same process over and over. The hours are long, the pay is low, and it stunts your growth. There's no need to go."
Fei Cheng scratched his cheek. "Stunts my growth?"
Cheng Yifei nodded. "Of course. Those working hours and living environments are harmful to a minor's body. You won't eat well or sleep well. Right now is exactly when you're supposed to be growing taller. If you want to surpass me in height, don't go ruining yourself."
Fei Cheng, of course, knew what the environment of a summer job was like. In his past life, he had frequently contributed his labor to those factories. Having a second chance, he wasn't willing to go, but his current situation was awkward. He couldn't bring himself to ask his family for money, and his future expenses would be so high...
Cheng Yifei opened the milk and handed it to him. "If it's not for the experience, then it's for the money. Is there something you want to buy but don't have enough for?"
Fei Cheng took the milk and took a sip, confessing, "Not right now, but there will be later. I can't bring myself to ask my family for money."
Cheng Yifei laughed. "Then where did your previous living expenses come from?"
Fei Cheng arched an eyebrow. "My grandparents gave it to me voluntarily. I didn't even have to open my mouth."
Cheng Yifei nodded. That was actually similar to his own situation; his parents always left enough money, fearing he wouldn't have enough.
So this person wanted independence. He wasn't even seventeen yet; he was really overthinking things.
Cheng Yifei propped his chin on one hand and told him, "The money you spend now on food, clothes, and daily use—you can repay them with interest after you start working. Just think of it as a loan. Does that make you feel better? Don't be in such a hurry to make money. Once you graduate, you'll have plenty of time for that."
Going off to suffer at some crappy summer job when his family conditions weren't bad was a waste of time. He wouldn't learn anything; he'd just be selling cheap labor.
Even if Fei Cheng was willing, Cheng Yifei wasn't.
After the two finished breakfast, Fei Cheng rushed to clear the plates. He then went to check on Yu Qing, who was sleeping like a pig. When he came out, he saw Cheng Yifei waving him over.
He went over and sat on the sofa. "What is it?"
Cheng Yifei handed him a phone that looked nearly brand new. "I don't want to be unable to reach you for two months during the summer break. Can you use my old number for now?"
Fei Cheng didn't take it. To be honest, having grown used to smartphones, he didn't have much enthusiasm for button phones. There was a comical sense of "you guys are playing with what I've already discarded." Smartphones hadn't come out yet, and the flip phone in Cheng Yifei’s hand must have cost at least a thousand yuan.
It was truly expensive.
Fei Cheng looked at Cheng Yifei. "You can just call my house."
Cheng Yifei shook his head. "The phone isn't in your room. You'll feel awkward chatting with me in the living room."
Before Fei Cheng could ask why it would be awkward, Cheng Yifei pulled out another new phone. "I have another one. This one I'm lending you is the one I used before. The charger and battery are here, and QQ and everything are already downloaded."
Fei Cheng: "..."
Cheng Yifei stuffed the phone into his hand. "I'll teach you how to use it."
Fei Cheng flipped the phone open and unlocked it. "Would you believe me if I said I know how?"
Cheng Yifei let him explore it himself. "Then log into QQ and send me a message."
Fei Cheng glanced at him, then somewhat unpracticedly pressed the menu button to find QQ. He used the left key to select and the right key to open—ah, wrong one.
"I pressed it too fast," Fei Cheng explained as he backed out to the main menu.
Cheng Yifei could tell he had played with one before. He leaned in closer and asked, "You don't secretly have a phone hidden from me, do you?"
"You're joking. Where would I get a phone? And even if I did, why would I hide it from you?" Fei Cheng continued to explore the function keys. The *click-clack* of the buttons was actually quite satisfying, though having to use the left and right keys for every option made it easy to misclick.
Seeing that he had logged into QQ and found him among the seven or eight people on the list, Cheng Yifei watched as Fei Cheng opened the window and sent a "disdain" emoji. He immediately laughed and rubbed Fei Cheng’s head. "I want my own separate list. Don't lump me in with them."
Fei Cheng nodded and looked for the option to add a group. With Cheng Yifei’s prompts, Fei Cheng moved him into a new group within two minutes. *Unnamed: Online (1/1)*.
Cheng Yifei: "..." *You could at least type a group name for me!*
Unaware of his inner thoughts, Fei Cheng continued to send him system emojis. His eyes crinkled with laughter as he said, "Watch, I'll give you a hug."
He selected a dripping kitchen knife on the left, a little green man asking for a hug in the middle, and a dripping dagger on the right.
***
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What Should I Do? My Sexual Orientation is Normal [Gender Bender] | Chapter 45 | A Summer Connection | Novela.app | Novela.app
