After so many days, hearing CY’s voice again, Jiang Mo didn’t feel unfamiliar at all. During the day, he had heard this voice countless times.
Hearing Chi Yu’s voice in person, now hearing CY speak again, Jiang Mo noticed a slight difference. Chi Yu was kind in his attitude towards him, but Jiang Mo could clearly sense the coldness and distance beneath his smiling surface. Chi Yu seemed to be restraining something, and because of this restraint, Jiang Mo didn’t dare to get too close to him.
CY, on the other hand, was different. CY’s gentleness could be conveyed to Jiang Mo even through the headphones.
“Can I hang the cat1 on you and play?”
CY’s voice brought Jiang Mo back to his thoughts. His ears became warm, and he adjusted his gaming headphones, trying to let the coolness dissipate the heat in his ears.
“You, you can play whatever you want.” Jiang Mo locked in Nocturne2 and confidently said, “I’ll take you flying.”
Nocturne’s ultimate move could pounce on enemy heroes, and with the cat hanging onNocturne, one could experience the joy of flying a kite.
Jiang Mo amused Chi Yu, but his laughter quickly subsided. He asked, “Are you feeling down?”
Jiang Mo paused his rune modification and asked in return, “How did you know?”
“Your voice sounds different from usual,” Chi Yu sat up straight, his shoulders seemed tense, and he stared at Jiang Mo’s ID as if he was looking at Jiang Mo’s face through the screen, “Have you cried?”
Jiang Mo honestly responded with a sound, “Mm.”
Chi Yu asked, “Who bullied you?”
Muscle memory made Jiang Mo quickly select the runes. His brain raced, and within seconds, he thought of many possible responses.
They dislike me and secretly took my things.
It’s not really bullying.
Jiang Mo said, “I, I wasn’t…”
“Can you tell me?” CY’s voice came through the headphones, instantly shattering all of Jiang Mo’s defenses. The words ‘not being bullied‘ couldn’t be successfully uttered, and the suppressed grievances bubbled up.
Jiang Mo blinked and his eyes began to feel sour. He whispered, “They all hate me.”
“Hm?”
“I’ve done many wrong things in the past. It seems that knowing one’s mistakes and correcting them doesn’t work in reality…” Jiang Mo wiped away the tears that had rolled down from the corner of his eye with the back of his hand. Overwhelmed by the sour feeling, it was difficult for him to speak in his usual tone, “But those things were clearly not done by me. Why do I have to bear the consequences?”
Chi Yu stared at the screen, his face seemed covered in a white shadow cast by the screen’s light, making him appear exceptionally cold.
Jiang Mo didn’t do those things?
Chi Yu quickly understood what Jiang Mo meant.
After being in the industry for so many years, Jiang Mo’s popularity was average. Most of the things Jiang Mo had done in the past were instigated by his agent, forcing Jiang Mo to take the black-and-red route. This included the times Jiang Mo had approached him on set to show goodwill and provoke him for publicity, which was probably all the agent’s idea.
Chi Yu believed that his judgment of people was not wrong. The current Jiang Mo really had changed as he claimed.
Perhaps it couldn’t be seen through the screen, but today was the first time he had spent intimate time with Jiang Mo, and Chi Yu couldn’t detect any trace of pretense from him.
Jiang Mo was not a patient person, and if Jiang Mo had been trying to manipulate him in various ways, after spending an afternoon and half the evening with him, Jiang Mo should have called him “brother” at least once, just like before when he flirted with him on set, using it to bring them closer.
But today, his patience was running out. Jiang Mo hadn’t called him “brother” even once.
He admitted that he felt a little disappointed.
Hearing Jiang Mo’s words, he became a little annoyed. So, Jiang Mo had approached him before because he had listened to the agent’s orders?
Jiang Mo didn’t actually have that kind of intention towards him.
“I, I met Chi Yu today.” Jiang Mo sniffed and let out the pent-up frustration in his heart. He felt relieved, and the tears stopped flowing.
Chi Yu was taken aback. He didn’t expect Jiang Mo to suddenly mention him.
Jiang Mo continued, “He’s as handsome as he appears on the screen, and his voice sounds really good.”
Chi Yu’s tense expression immediately relaxed. He really wanted to know what was going on in Jiang Mo’s head.
Chi Yu couldn’t help but smile wryly and said in a warm voice, “And then?”
Jiang Mo said, “He gave me a cake, treated me to a milk tea, played video games with me, and even took me out for hotpot in the evening…”
Chi Yu listened quietly as Jiang Mo spoke.
Jiang Mo said, “He, he’s really good to me.”
“Is he really that good?” Chi Yu asked.
“Well, other people can pretend, but he… he’s different. He’s exactly the same as he appears on the screen. He’s really good,” Jiang Mo said, his face becoming slightly flushed towards the end.
The smile on Chi Yu’s face faded slightly as he supported his cheek, feeling a tinge of guilt in his heart.
Jiang Mo’s filter on him was perhaps too thick. He wasn’t as good as Jiang Mo imagined him to be.
“The cake he gave me, I… I originally planned to eat it alone in the evening, but someone else took it and ate it,” Jiang Mo said, no longer feeling aggrieved, but rather angry. “That was the cake Chi Yu gave me. I didn’t want to share it with anyone else.”
Jiang Mo’s words were firm, but his voice trembled. Chi Yu could imagine Jiang Mo on the other end of the screen, crying and persistently insisting that he was good.
A strong thought suddenly emerged in Chi Yu’s mind. He wanted to see what expression Jiang Mo had on his face now. Was he crying or blushing?
Chi Yu swallowed and hoarsely said, “Do you really like him?”
Jiang Mo replied, “I really like him.”
Chi Yu remained silent.
It didn’t matter if he didn’t like Jiang Mo before. It was the same now that he liked him.
With the cat hanging on his own AD, Chi Yu didn’t need to divide his attention. He opened the livestream of Love Comprehensive and the camera on Jiang Mo’s desk remained covered.
Chi Yu licked his dry lips, took a few sips of water from his cup, but couldn’t suppress the restlessness in his heart.
That cloth covering the camera was really getting in the way.
“They’re not treating you well. Don’t pay attention to them,” Chi Yu said.
It took the other person a long time to respond, but Jiang Mo didn’t mind. He said, “I’ll try my best.”
“Do you have any difficulties?” Chi Yu asked, but he felt like he was asking a pointless question. Jiang Mo had plenty of difficulties.
Jiang Mo replied, “I’m a good employee. I can’t not listen to my boss.”
The most important thing was to obey in order to earn money.
Jiang Mo’s response was inexplicable, but Chi Yu understood.
Jiang Mo’s agent also brought along Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan was the person Starlight was currently promoting. Considering Jiang Mo’s popularity, he couldn’t afford to appear on this Love Comprehensive show. It was like sacrificially offering him up.
Jiang Mo was already isolated. Did his agent expect Jiang Mo to go and please those people with a straight face?
…
Jiang Mo played two games with CY before logging off. They had outdoor activities tomorrow, so he couldn’t stay up late anymore, or he would be tired.
Before going to sleep, Jiang Mo took out his phone and sent a message to CY.
[MOMO: Brother, thank you for accompanying me tonight.]
CY’s reply came quickly, almost immediately after Jiang Mo sent the message, the typing indicator appeared at the top.
[CY: Wasn’t it you who accompanied me?]
[MOMO: I feel like it’s you who accompanied me.]
Jiang Mo didn’t understand why he had such thoughts. CY was a mysterious person who always appeared when he was sad and upset. CY wouldn’t say anything comforting or perfunctory, but every time, he managed to improve Jiang Mo’s mood.
[MOMO: Brother, good night.]
[CY: Good night.]
The alarm clock rang at seven in the morning, right on time.
The celebrity dating show is different from the regular dating show. Regular people have to go out to work every day, but the celebrities have arranged their schedules for this show, treating it as a way to take a break for themselves.
At this time, everyone should be sleeping in their rooms. Jiang Mo deliberately woke up at this time to avoid encountering anyone while making breakfast.
If he could, he would have stayed in his room and not come out, surviving the week with just bread and instant noodles.
But the script didn’t allow him to do that.
After a rain, the temperature rose, and today was a rare sunny day. The weather wasn’t as cold as the past two days.
Jiang Mo put on a gray hoodie and went downstairs. As he expected, the yard was very quiet, and everyone was still asleep.
When Jiang Mo entered the dining room, he subconsciously looked at the table. The cake that was left there last night had disappeared. Looking at the trash can next to the chair, a black garbage bag was covered with a yellow object, containing the cake that Chi Yu had given him.
Jiang Mo stared at the trash can in a daze, then tied up the garbage bag and planned to throw it away later when he went out.
[“Jiang Mo actually woke up so early?”]
[“He probably went to bed early last night. He covered the camera in his live stream last night, so I don’t know what he was doing.”]
[“What else could it be? He must have hidden away and cried. How old is he and still crying over trivial matters?”]
[“I’m in my thirties, and I would cry too if I were treated unfairly, let alone Jiang Mo.”]
[“Seeing him squatting next to the trash can staring at the cake, I suddenly felt like crying. If someone threw my gift in the trash, I would definitely fight that person!”]
[“What’s wrong with them? If they don’t want to eat it, they can throw it in the trash. It’s obviously Jiang Mo’s thing, right?”]
[“Has Ye Lin apologized today?”]
Jiang Mo originally planned to make something simple to eat, but when he remembered what Ye Lin said last night, he closed the refrigerator door, put on the hoodie, and walked out of the house.
He asked the neighbor’s grandmother and walked for about five minutes to the town’s market.
Jiang Mo bought a large bag of groceries at the market. When he returned to the cottage, the yard was still quiet. He entered the kitchen and put the vegetables and eggs from the bag into the corner of the refrigerator. He also bought seasonings, and the table was filled with everyone’s things. Jiang Mo didn’t dare to touch other people’s stuff, so he arranged them in a separate corner, and after tidying up, he started preparing breakfast.
Apart from instant noodles, the only thing Jiang Mo knew how to make was fried eggs and boiled eggs.
Thinking of what CY said about instant noodles not being healthy, Jiang Mo obediently didn’t buy any.
Both noodles and vegetables and meat were thrown into the pot and cooked together, mixed with various seasonings. The taste shouldn’t be too bad.
Jiang Mo filled the pot with water and waited for it to boil. In the meantime, he opened the noodle packaging, carefully calculating the portion he would eat alone.
“Are you cooking noodles?” a familiar voice sounded behind him, startling Jiang Mo. He shook his body and turned around to look.
Chi Yu was dressed casually today, coincidentally wearing a black hoodie similar to his style. At first glance, the two of them looked like they were wearing couple outfits.
Realizing his unrealistic thoughts, Jiang Mo shook his head, blushing, and whispered, “G-good morning.”
“Good morning,” Chi Yu chuckled. “Can I join you for breakfast?”
Jiang Mo stuttered, “I-I’m not a good cook.”
Chi Yu replied, “I don’t mind.”
Jiang Mo held onto the noodles and asked, “H-how much do you usually eat for breakfast?”
Chi Yu replied, “A little less.”
Jiang Mo nodded, pondering how to eat less. He hadn’t cooked many times before, so he grabbed a handful, thinking it should be about right. Just as he was about to throw it into the pot, his wrist was grabbed by a hand.
Chi Yu’s hand was twice the size of his, and his slender fingers lightly clasped Jiang Mo’s wrist. The icy fingertips touched his pulse, but his blood didn’t freeze. Instead, it began to surge.
The water in the pot was boiling, but no one paid attention to it.
Chi Yu said, “That’s too much.”
Because of Chi Yu’s sudden touch, a few strands of dry noodles slipped from Jiang Mo’s hand. Chi Yu smiled and looked at Jiang Mo, whose expression was dazed, and whose ears were turning red. Jiang Mo extended his other hand and handed the bunch of dry noodles over to Chi Yu.
“If you’re not good at estimating the portion, you can find a bottle cap,” Chi Yu said, releasing Jiang Mo’s hand and twisting off the cap of a vinegar bottle. “The portion for one person is usually one bottle cap. You can use this method in the future.”
Jiang Mo nodded blankly. They were too close, and he could smell the faint fragrance of Chi Yu’s perfume, like a mixture of cedar and vanilla, refreshing and pleasant. Jiang Mo sniffed carefully and heard a low chuckle from above. He looked up and met Chi Yu’s gaze, and his face blushed.
“I… I…” Jiang Mo stammered, wishing he could find a hole to hide in. He couldn’t explain his strange behavior just now.
If he honestly confessed that Chi Yu smelled too good, would Chi Yu think he was a pervert?
But his actions had already proven that he was a pervert.
Jiang Mo nervously pursed his lips and looked at Chi Yu, his eyes at a loss. In his unaware state, he instinctively transmitted a signal for help to Chi Yu.
Chi Yu received it, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He tossed the noodles into the already boiling water, picked up the bottle cap, and waved it in front of Jiang Mo, asking, “Did you learn it?”
Jiang Mo replied, “Huh?”
Chi Yu said, “The method I just taught you, did you remember it?”
“I-I remembered, th-thank you…” Jiang Mo lowered his head, no longer daring to meet Chi Yu’s gaze. He shrank like a turtle.
This thank you was expressing gratitude for Chi Yu’s thoughtful help.
“And then?” Chi Yu put the cap back.
Jiang Mo asked, “What?”
Chi Yu said, seemingly casual, with a smile playing at his lips, “Didn’t you always call me ‘big brother’ before? Why don’t you call me that now?”
Jiang Mo remained silent.
Author’s note:
Jiang Mo: He’s very nice to me (drops the “good person” card!).
Chi Yu’s inner thoughts: He loves me!
Jiang Mo: He smells so good, he’s so exquisite! (drops the “admiring idol” card!).
Chi Yu’s inner thoughts: He loves me!
Note :
