After My Childhood Friend Misunderstood That I Had a Boyfriend - Chapter 15

Chapter 15:  He had a physiological reaction to Chu Xi

 

Just as Chu Xi finished sending his last voice message, the Murder Mystery game on the other side concluded. Zhou Siyuan was gloating over her victory and was already pestering Fu Ling to change the script and start another round.

 

Seeing Chu Xi fussing over the flowers, Zhou Siyuan thought he was bored from waiting and called out: “Chu Xi, Chu Xi! Come here quickly, we’re just waiting for you.”

 

Chu Xi gave a quick reply, his fingertip accidentally brushing the screen: “Okay! Coming now.”

 

Chu Xi had intended to pick an emoji to send to Zhou Jinyan, but looking down, he realized he had accidentally sent one while responding to Zhou Siyuan.

 

Seeing that Chu Xi hadn’t moved yet, Fu Ling asked: “Chu Xi?”

 

Chu Xi: “Ah, I’m coming right now.”

 

Since it wasn’t an ambiguous emoji, Chu Xi didn’t bother with it.

 

He exited WeChat and, noticing his phone was nearly out of battery, plugged it in on the table to charge. He then picked up a spare phone to play with Zhou Siyuan and Fu Ling.

 

Meanwhile, Zhou Jinyan stared at his phone screen, motionless for a long time.

 

A “ding-dong” notification from WeChat snapped him back to reality.

 

Chu Xi had sent an emoji: a white puppy on a blue background, resting its chin on its paws and smiling at the viewer. There was a little sun over its head with the word “Radiant” written on it.

 

It gave off the impression that the sender was eagerly awaiting a reply—the kind of person who would be happy all day just from getting a single response.

 

It was actually quite a lot like Chu Xi himself.

 

Cute, enthusiastic, a little sun.

 

Is this a case of the person matching their emojis? Zhou Jinyan imagined Chu Xi looking at him with that exact expression; after a while, he realized he couldn’t even muster a bit of resistance.

 

Above the emoji was that pair of dazzling legs. Zhou Jinyan’s breathing became noticeably heavier. Feeling an inexplicable dryness in his throat, he put his phone down and unscrewed the cap of his water bottle.

 

As the cap came off, a few drops of water splashed out. Unluckily, they landed right on the screen, specifically on the last voice message Chu Xi had sent.

 

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

 

His dutiful Bluetooth earphones immediately started the playback.

 

Even though it was the same voice message, Zhou Jinyan heard something different in it this time.

 

Perhaps because of the association with the “Radiant Puppy” emoji, he could picture Chu Xi resting his chin on his hands, looking up at him expectantly, waiting joyfully for his answer.

 

With such ambiguous phrasing, it was impossible to tell if he was asking if the flowers were pretty, or if those slender legs—which had completely stolen the spotlight from the flowers—were pretty.

 

Chu Xi seemed to do this constantly, using ambiguous actions to provoke and tease him.

 

While lost in thought, Zhou Jinyan accidentally brushed the voice message again. Chu Xi’s sweet, slightly cloying voice entered his ears once more, sounding as if he would keep asking forever until he got an answer.

 

Even though he knew this was just his imagination, Zhou Jinyan took a deep breath. He hurriedly sent a somewhat flustered reply to Chu Xi, then locked his screen and fled the interface like a defeated soldier.

 

Brother: …They look good.

 

Looking at the bouquet now, Zhou Jinyan felt a sense of helplessness; he had truly dug his own grave this time.

 

And it was a very heavy grave, one that crushed him into sobriety. What exactly am I doing? He had promised to keep his distance from Chu Xi, yet as soon as he saw the other’s sad Moments post, he couldn’t bear to stay away.

 

Zhou Jinyan furrowed his brows, took off his earphones, and quietly adjusted his sitting position.

 

Perhaps his feelings for Chu Xi were deeper than he imagined—deep enough that just a simple photo and two voice messages could trigger a physical reaction.

 

By the time Chu Xi’s phone was charged, the party had ended. His friends had helped him clear the table and wash the pots. As they left, they even took out the trash for him. Chu Xi, moved to tears, walked them to the neighborhood entrance.

 

“Bye! See you next time!”

 

Chu Xi waved: “See you next time, bye-bye!”

 

When Chu Xi returned, the house felt quite empty with just him. A bedroom door quietly creaked open, and Xiannv poked her head through the gap before leaping onto the sofa to nestle quietly beside Chu Xi.

 

Chu Xi stroked the cat’s head in surprise: “Xiannv baby, when did you learn how to open doors?”

 

Xiannv flicked her tail: “Meow.”

 

Chu Xi’s urge to share was irrepressible. He hopped off the sofa, threw on his slippers, and rushed to grab his phone, ready to tell Ms. Meng that her “grandson” had learned how to open doors.

 

Opening WeChat, Chu Xi discovered that Zhou Jinyan had replied an hour ago.

 

Brother: They look good.

 

Why does it look so forced?

 

Is it because the photo wasn’t good? Chu Xi frowned and clicked on the photo to admire himself. I look great! How could this exquisite pose not look good!

 

Chu Xi thought for a moment. If Zhou Jinyan was being so reluctant, it must be because he was a total “straight man” who didn’t understand aesthetics.

 

Chu Xi took a box of mints from the basket on the table. The cool, breeze-like sensation quickly spread through his mouth.

 

He shook the box, the mints rattling against the plastic. Xiannv followed the movement with her eyes. “Ahhh, Xiannv baby, let’s stop thinking about him, okay?”

 

The snow-white cat meowed as if in response.

 

Chu Xi reclined on the sofa, his long legs swinging back and forth. After sharing the news about Xiannv opening the door with Ms. Meng, his finger idly scrolled through his contacts. Finally, his hand acted faster than his mind and clicked into the chat with Zhou Jinyan.

 

Xiannv let out a meow beside him. Human, didn’t you say you’d stop thinking about him?

 

Chu Xi also felt he was being a bit weak willed: “I’m not thinking about him.”

 

He scratched Xiannv’s forehead, making the cat squint in comfort. “I’m looking for a new friend for you.”

 

Chu Xi recalled the time Zhou Jinyan had “falsely accused” him via the dog, Tangdou. He chuckled and shared the news of Xiannv opening the door.

 

Chu Xi: My cat learned how to open doors! Does your Tangdou know how to open doors too? Is that how he got into your room back then?

 

Chu Xi remembered Zhou Jinyan had sent a photo of Tangdou before. Resting his face on his hand, he looked at Xiannv. Should I send a photo too?

 

Oh, Chu Xi loved doing this kind of thing. He quickly took a selfie with Xiannv and sent it over with mischievous intent.

 

Chu Xi: This is my kitty.

 

On the other side, Zhou Jinyan’s meeting had ended. He had gone out to retrieve his cold takeout and brought it into his office. He had just split his chopsticks when his phone chimed.

 

It was a message from Chu Xi.

 

And a photo.

 

In the photo, both the human and the cat were looking at the camera. The cat was adorable and the person was beautiful. It made Zhou Jinyan inexplicably think of a wife and child waiting at home for a husband.

 

Beautiful things always make one’s heart soften. His slightly hardened heart relaxed instantly.

 

The takeout was cold. Zhou Jinyan, who had intended to just suffer through it, changed his mind and decided to go to the breakroom to heat it in the microwave.

 

Brother: Mm.

 

Brother: Sometimes being too smart isn’t a good thing.

 

Brother: The cat is very beautiful.

 

A minute later, the microwave “dinged.” The food was hot, and a reply from Chu Xi arrived.

 

Chu Xi was delighted. To him, Xiannv was like his own son. Zhou Jinyan praising Xiannv for being smart and beautiful was basically the same as praising him for being smart and beautiful.

 

And besides, what’s wrong with being smart?

 

Chu Xi defended Tangdou: “What’s wrong with being too smart? Smart dogs are popular everywhere.”

 

Moreover, it was because of Tangdou that he got to see that “fan service” video. Chu Xi was a reserved person; he couldn’t just tell Zhou Jinyan to show his abs directly.

 

Zhou Jinyan returned to his office. Listening to Chu Xi’s enthusiastic voice, he found that even though he was eating the same meal, it tasted different now.

 

Having finished defending Tangdou, Chu Xi finally revealed his true motive: “Do you want to see my cat?”

 

See the cat?

 

Is Chu Xi inviting me over to his house? Zhou Jinyan wondered.

 

Chu Xi sent another message: “I kind of want to see Tangdou too.”

 

See Tangdou?

 

Zhou Jinyan put down his chopsticks. Since Chu Xi was always saying such ambiguous things, he couldn’t help but think deeply: Does Chu Xi mean he wants to come to my house?

 

Zhou Jinyan took a deep breath, furrowing his brows, prepared to reply.

 

Chu Xi finally finished drawing his “map of ulterior motives”: “So, should we walk Tangdou and Xiannv together? Xiannv wants to make new friends too.”

 

So he didn’t want to come over or invite me over.

 

I was overthinking it.

 

Chu Xi simply had a way of saying ambiguous things that made it impossible to tell if he was doing it on purpose, as if he were constantly betting on whether Zhou Jinyan would indulge him.

 

The image of Chu Xi’s bright smile surfaced in Zhou Jinyan’s mind.

 

Fine, Chu Xi certainly has the capital to be indulged.

 

He could even make a person sink deeper and deeper during that process of indulgence.

 

It was like the “frog in boiling water” analogy. Chu Xi had carefully brought a pot of water to a boil, and Zhou Jinyan was the unconscious frog.

 

By the time he realized it, he had been scalded to the point of immobility, capable only of futile struggles.

 

Zhou Jinyan looked at the night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window. The skyscrapers were brightly lit, traffic flowed endlessly on the overpasses, and pedestrians bustled in the subway stations. In ten minutes, another civil flight would take off from the airport ten kilometers away, the roar of the engines echoing the return or departure of travelers.

 

Zhou Jinyan rubbed the bridge of his nose: “I’ve been a bit busy lately. I might not have time to walk Tangdou.”

 

He finished his meal, bagged the trash, and threw it in the bin. When he heard the WeChat notification, he actually felt a bit afraid to look.

 

Would Chu Xi be sad?

 

Zhou Jinyan sighed and compromised slightly. He went over to unlock his phone to see what Chu Xi had sent.

 

Chu Xi: Okay then.

 

He didn’t even send a crying emoji, just one that said “I’ll wait for you here.” He was being deathly obedient.

 

Obedient, cute, enthusiastic, and beautiful… surely no one could avoid falling for Chu Xi?

 

Zhou Jinyan was almost about to change his mind when a former roommate from dorm E411 sent him a private message. His thumb slipped, and he accidentally clicked into it.

 

It was a picture.

 

Zhou Jinyan intended to glance at it and exit, but the image finished loading. When he saw clearly who was in the picture, his gaze darkened.

 

The warm white light fell on Zhou Jinyan’s face, but it was drowned out by his current grimness. His aura turned cold enough to turn late autumn into early winter.

 

After a while of receiving no reply, Xu Suizhao looked again and realized he had sent it to the wrong person his old roommate Zhou Jinyan.

 

He couldn’t unsend it anymore, so he apologized: “Sorry, sent to the wrong person. I meant to show it to a friend.”

 

Wrong person?

 

Zhou Jinyan looked at the contact name. This roommate had moved out before Chu Xi even moved in and had never met him. How did he have a photo of Chu Xi?

 

What bothered him most was Zhou Jinyan’s gaze fell on the arm draped intimately over Chu Xi’s shoulder. He had held Chu Xi just as intimately yesterday.

 

Who was this man next to Chu Xi?

 

Last night, when Chu Xi was teasing him, had he treated this man the same way?

 

Zhou Jinyan suddenly felt a surge of irritation: “Do you know the shorter guy in the photo?”

 

Xu Suizhao: “No, I don’t.”

 

Xu Suizhao was eager to share: “This is a little beauty I ran into half a month ago. He looks even better in person than in photos. Pity he already has a boyfriend.”