After half a year, Jiang Mo had changed a lot. His appearance was exactly the same, but he had become slightly thinner compared to half a year ago. The arrogance he once had was gone, replaced by timidity and weakness.
This is not meant as a derogatory term1.
The young man in front of him was clearly frightened. His round almond eyes stared at him without blinking. After his body trembled violently, the white fur on his down jacket trembled, resembling a startled little animal, reminding Chi Yu of the small plush cat at home.
Very cute.
“Sorry for scaring you.”
Chi Yu’s voice brought Jiang Mo back from his thoughts. His cheeks inexplicably turned red, and he nervously lowered his head, his voice becoming stuttered, “It’s… it’s nothing.”
“You haven’t eaten yet?” Chi Yu’s face lit up with a faint smile, melting away the coldness around Jiang Mo.
Jiang Mo didn’t notice, but upon hearing Chi Yu’s words, he quickly turned off the stove. Most of the water in the pot had been absorbed by the noodles, so by the time they finished cooking, it had become dry noodles instead of soup noodles.
“They… they have all gone out,” Jiang Mo answered without addressing Chi Yu’s question.
Chi Yu asked in return, “Aren’t you curious why I came here?”
Jiang Mo counter-questioned, “Aren’t you the last guest?”
Even if he didn’t know the inside story, the only possibility for someone to come to this place would be the last guest. Jiang Mo didn’t believe that the director would invite others to be guests on the Love Variety Show. That wouldn’t be a guest, but someone intentionally causing trouble.
Chi Yu chuckled lightly, “You’re very clever.”
He was praised by Chi Yu.
Jiang Mo’s face turned red, and since turning off the stove, he didn’t dare to look at Chi Yu. The person he could only see on the screen before was now standing in front of him, even more handsome and attractive than on the screen. His heart was pounding, and the hand holding the ham began to tremble uncontrollably.
[“Did I hear wrong? How could Chi Yu appear on a dating variety show?!”]
[“Unbelievable! The movie star Chi Yu actually participated in a dating show. Damn, do the other guests from Group A still have a chance?”]
[“The other three are not bad either. Not everyone likes Chi Yu.”]
[“The key point is, why is Jiang Mo the first person Chi Yu meets? Is the production team intentionally causing trouble? Don’t they know about Jiang Mo and Chi Yu’s situation?”]
[“It’s not the production team’s fault. The production team only prepared three boxes, and Jiang Mo was left at home. It can only be said to be a coincidence that he encountered Chi Yu.”]
[“Is there a possibility that Jiang Mo knew in advance that Chi Yu would come today?”]
Even the director didn’t expect Chi Yu to come early. Faced with the speculation from the barrage, the director had no intention of explaining. Only a fool would give up on the buzz for no reason.
“Do you have any extra instant noodles?” Chi Yu reached out and took a piece of kitchen paper to wipe off the rainwater on his coat.
“Ah?” Jiang Mo was taken aback and responded a beat late, “Y-yes.”
Chi Yu said, “I haven’t had lunch yet. Do you mind helping me cook a pack of instant noodles?”
Jiang Mo nodded and stole a glance at Chi Yu. Their eyes met, and his cheeks flushed once again. He whispered, “C-Can you handle spicy food?”
He bought the spicy flavor.
Chi Yu replied, “Sure, cook it according to your taste. I’ll eat whatever you eat.”
“Okay.” Jiang Mo turned his back to Chi Yu, and a natural smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. The camera was capturing him, recording his expression in its entirety.
[“Why are you smiling? Does he think Chi Yu likes him? Get it straight, Chi Yu is just taking care of a junior.”]
[“You guys are so negative. Jiang Mo didn’t do anything. Didn’t Chi Yu ask Jiang Mo to cook instant noodles for him?”]
[“Just because we don’t like Jiang Mo? So what?”]
Jiang Mo’s speech had returned to normal yesterday, and Chi Yu had been curious about how Jiang Mo corrected his stuttering issue. It wasn’t until now, hearing Jiang Mo speak with his own ears, that Chi Yu understood that Jiang Mo merely slowed down his pace of speech, making it sound more normal. But he would still stutter when nervous.
Compared to speaking normally, Chi Yu actually preferred Jiang Mo’s stuttering speech. There were no unnecessary distractions, and his voice carried a cautious and tender softness.
Sensing Jiang Mo’s nervousness, Chi Yu chose not to approach. He sat on the edge of the windowsill, leaving the seat Jiang Mo had previously occupied for him.
Jiang Mo was relatively short in the entertainment industry, with official data stating he was 170 centimeters tall.
Chi Yu hadn’t paid much attention to Jiang Mo before. Only when he made the comparison just now did he realize the height difference between them. He was exactly 23 centimeters taller than Jiang Mo.
Resting his chin on his hand, Chi Yu quietly observed the busy figure in the kitchen from a distance.
Although Jiang Mo was short, his body proportions were good. He seemed to like wearing oversized down jackets, with his upper body appearing plump while his slender legs were revealed from the bottom half. It reminded Chi Yu of a chubby little chick with a round belly. Jiang Mo, wearing a thick down jacket, looked very huggable.
Jiang Mo turned off the stove and poured the instant noodles into a bowl. As soon as his hands touched the bowl, he quickly pulled them back and blew on them.
He got burned. Jiang Mo suddenly remembered that he should have used a cloth to hold the bowl to insulate the heat.
“Did you get burned?” a voice sounded in his ears, and Jiang Mo was startled again, staring blankly at Chi Yu who had suddenly approached.
The little guy seemed to be easily startled.
Chi Yu thought so and reached out, grabbing Jiang Mo’s hand and placing it in his palm to examine it.
“I-I…” Jiang Mo’s ears turned hot, wanting to withdraw his hand but not daring to. His fingers curled up in a flustered manner.
Chi Yu’s other hand came over and flattened his curled-up fingers. A red patch had appeared on the fair skin of his fingertip from the burn. Chi Yu held Jiang Mo’s hand, turned on the faucet, and placed Jiang Mo’s fingers under the cold water.
“Blowing on it won’t help. When you get burned, you need to rinse it with cold water immediately and then apply an ice pack,” Chi Yu said.
He had pulled his hand back as soon as he touched him. It only hurt for a few seconds, nothing serious at all.
Upon hearing Chi Yu’s words, Jiang Mo swallowed back his explanation and replied softly, “Mm.”
With his head lowered in a submissive manner, one might think he had done something wrong.
Chi Yu found it amusing. He used a tissue to dry Jiang Mo’s hands, made sure his fingers were fine, and said, “I’m not overreacting. Just be careful in your daily life, your hands are important.”
Jiang Mo looked up, puzzled, and asked Chi Yu, “Why are my hands important?”
Chi Yu didn’t elaborate much and simply said, “If your hands get injured, it will be inconvenient in daily life.”
“Oh,” Jiang Mo lowered his head again, feeling the familiar heat on his face. Chi Yu was just too good; he hadn’t mistaken his feelings.
[“…I feel so jealous! Chi Yu actually took the initiative to hold Jiang Mo’s hand!”]
[“Whimper, whimper, I think they’re a good match! I’m totally shipping despite their differences in body types!”]
[“Why do I feel like Chi the Movie Star is taking care of a child? Why did Jiang Mo suddenly become so obedient?”]
[“Stop speculating. It will eventually be revealed. Don’t you care when you see someone injured? It would be too cold-hearted not to show any concern. Chi Yu is just showing some kindness.”]
[“But you guys have always been harsh on Jiang Mo. I think he’s pretty good!”]
[“You don’t know how bad he was in the past.”]
[“People change, don’t they? Jiang Mo is only 19, after all. Everyone grows up! Haven’t you made any mistakes when you were young?”]
Chi Yu released Jiang Mo’s hand, picked up the two bowls of instant noodles, and said, “You take the chopsticks.”
Jiang Mo belatedly realized and hurriedly grabbed the chopsticks, catching up with Chi Yu as they walked away.
During the meal, neither of them spoke.
Jiang Mo had chosen a good spot, enjoying the view outside the window and having a better appetite than usual.
“Do you have anything to do in the afternoon?” Chi Yu ate relatively quickly and only asked after Jiang Mo put down his chopsticks.
Jiang Mo wiped his mouth and answered, “No.”
Before Chi Yu arrived, Jiang Mo had decided to spend the entire afternoon playing a game.
“Great, then can you spend your afternoon with me?” Chi Yu didn’t immediately respond. He got up and walked to the long dining table in the living room. When he returned, he had a square box in his hand, colored in a creamy yellow.
Chi Yu handed the box to Jiang Mo’s table.
“For me?” Jiang Mo was once again stunned.
“A gift for you,” Chi Yu’s lips curved into a faint smile as he said, “Jiang Mo, would you accept my invitation for a date?”
Note :
- A derogatory term is a word or phrase that is used to insult, belittle, or demean someone or a specific group of people ↩︎
screaming crying throwing up, Jiang Mo deserves all the good things and Chi Yu is going to give them