After My Childhood Friend Misunderstood That I Had a Boyfriend - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: He noticed Zhou Jinyan has a very prominent Adam’s apple and nose

After Zhou Jinyan replied, Chu Xi was suddenly in no hurry to send a message back.

The freshly cut bouquet was still dripping with water droplets, clinging on as if they might fall at any moment. Chu Xi let out a soft laugh, thinking they looked just like someone’s wavering heart.

Chu Xi left him on “Read,” admiring the flowers for a good while before setting them aside on the balcony. He then happily ran back to join his friends for a game of Werewolf and some chatting.

The hotpot was boiling, the bubbles rolling the vegetables added by the guests to the bottom of the pot. Everyone enjoyed the meal to their heart’s content. After dinner, someone suggested taking a group photo. Chu Xi brought out his Instax camera and took several shots one for each person as a memento.

After the photos, the group opened a script-killing (Jubensha) room on a mobile app and gathered in Chu Xi’s living room to play.

At the end of one round, Chu Xi was voted out. He said fiercely, “Just you wait! I’ll redeem myself next round!”

Fu Ling laughed: “Hahahaha, we’ll be waiting then.”

After a bit of bickering, Chu Xi noticed his Instax photos had finished developing. Taking advantage of the gap before the next round started, he stood up and went to the balcony to set up a scene for a photo.

Zhou Sixuan was currently immersed in her role, debating fiercely with the others. When her turn to speak ended, a message from Zhou Jinyan happened to pop up.

Second Brother: Did Chu Xi receive the flowers?

Oh?

It’s not like they didn’t have each other on WeChat. For her brother to ask her in such a roundabout way, Zhou Sixuan did a quick analysis: Could it be that her brother was being ignored by Chu Xi?

Aww, poor brother.

Zhou Sixuan didn’t know how Zhou Jinyan had upset Chu Xi, but she didn’t mind being a wingwoman. She looked up and saw Chu Xi’s back as he fiddled with the flowers and snapped a photo of him.

Zhou Sixuan: Of course he received them! Have you no faith in me? Meme: Don’t worry, I won’t screw it up this time.jpg – Zhou Sixuan: Here, proof. Photo of Chu Xi’s back.jpg

At the same time, another message from Zhou Jinyan jumped out.

Second Brother: Is he busy? No time to look at his phone?

Zhou Sixuan told the truth: “He’s not busy. He’s taking photos with his phone right now.”

Not busy? Still taking photos with his phone?

Then why hasn’t he replied to my message?

Zhou Jinyan looked down, switching back to his chat history with Chu Xi. He felt a trace of restlessness.

…Was Chu Xi still unhappy?

He felt like he had provoked him last night.

But despite being angry, Chu Xi still cared enough to ask if he had applied medicine. Even though he was clearly sad, he had greeted him with a smile, only expressing his unhappiness on his “Moments.”

The chat history was still stuck on Chu Xi telling him to remember to apply the medicine last night. Zhou Jinyan thought for a moment, turned on the front camera, and took a photo of his face. The place where he’d been bumped was long healed; not even a mark remained.

After taking the photo, he sent it to Chu Xi.

Gége: Image  Gége: I’ve applied the medicine.

Chu Xi was adjusting filters when two consecutive messages from Zhou Jinyan popped up at the top of his screen. He gave a smug huff.

Can’t even handle being ignored for half an hour? And yet you dared to avoid me last night?

Applying medicine does he think that will get him my forgiveness?

He was a person with very low tolerance; he wouldn’t just forgive someone so easily…

Ahhhhhhh!

Chu Xi clicked into the chat interface with Zhou Jinyan with feigned indifference. He glanced casually at what Zhou Jinyan had sent, but when he saw the photo, he froze.

Ahhh! What does Zhou Jinyan mean by sending a photo from this angle! His jawline was so sharp, and his Adam’s apple was very prominent…

Chu Xi placed the phone on the small balcony table and covered his burning cheeks with both hands. The photo Zhou Jinyan sent only showed the lower half of his face, and he was wearing glasses again.

Chu Xi stared for a few seconds and noticed Zhou Jinyan’s nose was remarkably straight and high. He inexplicably thought of something he’d heard: that guys with prominent Adam’s apples and high noses are usually, well, “large,” and that their “performance” in that area wouldn’t be bad either…

Thinking of that, Chu Xi recalled their awkward video call from before. If the towel had been just a bit lower, he would have seen it.

Recalling carefully, although it was only a fleeting glimpse, he had indeed seen a dormant shadow.

How calculating!

Zhou Jinyan was doing this on purpose, right? Chu Xi’s head was now full of “yellow waste” dirty thoughts. As expected, once a person thinks about sex, their mood is no longer depressed, and the awkward topics are forgotten.

Where did Zhou Jinyan go to study this? Sending such a seductive photo it was too calculating! Chu Xi swallowed and decided to reply with some restraint.

Chu Xi: Just saw this now.

When Chu Xi thought about how his crush was not only coaxing him but also sending “fan service” photos like this, compared to other people who only had secret unrequited crushes, he felt a sudden rush of superiority—as if he were miles ahead of everyone else. He found this feeling quite enjoyable.

Chu Xi was secretly gloating. While replying to Zhou Jinyan, he avoided giving a direct answer: “How did you know I was unhappy?”

Seeing the status under the contact name “Gége” change to “Typing.”, yet no message appearing for half a minute, Chu Xi asked again: “Did you look at my Moments?”

This time, Zhou Jinyan replied decisively.

Gége: Mm. Gége: Are the flowers pretty?

Flowers? Chu Xi’s gaze fell on the bouquet of Delphiniums, white roses, and Eustomas. He reached out, took them, and placed them against his thigh.

After this period of practice and Jian Yu’s guidance, Chu Xi was no longer the innocent idiot he once was! He now had a wealth of experience, just like Jian Yu!

Chu Xi praised himself secretly. He was now a… what was the term? Right, he was now a “player” in the field of love!

Chu Xi happily snapped a photo. The flash went off, freezing this moment in time.

In the photo, the Delphiniums and white roses formed a diagonal line. The remaining large portion of the frame was filled with his fair legs. Against the backdrop of the pure white roses and Eustomas, the skin beneath looked white with a rosy tint, adding a touch of vividness.

 Chu Xi:   Chu Xi: The flowers are very pretty  I like them very much.

When Zhou Jinyan received the photo, his calm heart skipped a beat for no reason, and his breath nearly hitched.

On purpose?

He could have just taken a photo of the flowers, yet he insisted on, Zhou Jinyan looked at the photo again. It was dazzlingly white. He knew Chu Xi was slender, but how could someone have so little fat on their upper thighs?

Even with his legs together, they didn’t quite touch; he was so thin there was a gap in the middle wide enough for a hand to pass through.

Zhou Jinyan felt a bit hot.

Yet, the other party continued to send messages with natural innocence.

This time, it was a voice message.

Zhou Jinyan went still for a moment. On stage, someone was still passionately talking about the vertical direction of their project. He connected his Bluetooth, placed the earbud in his ear, and only then clicked to listen.

“I wasn’t unhappy. Thank you for the flowers, I really like them.”

Chu Xi’s voice was a clear, youthful tenor. When he lowered his voice, the tone became soft and sweet, sounding to the listener like he was acting spoiled.

The clear voice traveled through the earphone. Zhou Jinyan felt as if Chu Xi were whispering directly into his ear.

Just then, Chu Xi sent another voice message. Before Zhou Jinyan could react, it played automatically due to his system settings.

After a slight static sound, Chu Xi’s voice sounded like it had a hook in it.

“By the way, the flowers are beautiful. Do you think they look good?”