After My Childhood Friend Misunderstood That I Had a Boyfriend - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A little lower and you could have seen that

Chu Xi was startled by the sudden video call from Zhou Jinyan. He was about to click “Decline” to ask if Zhou Jinyan had pressed it by mistake, but in his frantic haste, he accidentally clicked “Accept.”

The video call connected, and a vast expanse of flesh tones occupied the entire screen.

Chu Xi froze. “Uh,  what!?”

What was that?!

Before Chu Xi could react, the distance within the screen shifted. By the time he finally saw clearly what it was, and before he could say a word, there was a “beep,” and the call disconnected.

Looking at the dialog box that read Call Duration 00:52, Chu Xi’s heart could not settle for a long time.

Ahhhhh! What did Zhou Jinyan mean by this?

He looked like he had just finished showering… water droplets still lingered on his abdominal muscles, some slowly trickling down along the well-defined lines. Chu Xi’s eyes flickered; he didn’t dare admit that his gaze had followed those droplets all the way down.

The bath towel was wrapped so low. If it had been just a little lower…

He would have seen it!!!

Chu Xi’s heart throbbed wildly, and his head was a chaotic mess. After a long silence, his phone vibrated.

Chu Xi unlocked it and found a message from Zhou Jinyan.

 Zhou Jinyan: Pressed it by mistake.

Chu Xi had no words to reply with. He had envisioned sending suggestive photos and then claiming he sent them to the wrong person, but Zhou Jinyan countered with a video call.

It was just… too unexpected!

Seeing that Chu Xi had been quiet for a long time without replying, Zhou Jinyan felt a trace of restlessness in his heart.

Before he had hung up the video call, the Chu Xi on the screen had been wide-eyed. His thick, curled lashes were trembling like wings because their owner was so shocked; he looked like a fluffy little animal that was so startled it forgot how to react.

Zhou Jinyan waited a moment longer but still didn’t receive a reply.

It made sense. It was normal for Chu Xi not to reply.

In the middle of the night, having just finished a shower and wearing only a towel, he had suddenly broadcasted a video call. They were currently just ordinary roommates; his behavior just now could be classified as harassment.

Tangdou (Jellybean) wagged his tail pleasingly in front of Zhou Jinyan. Seeing that Zhou Jinyan’s expression was displeased, the dog was perceptive enough to slowly walk toward the door, preparing to return to his own bed.

Zhou Jinyan: “Stop.”

Tangdou thought about it for a second and then obediently stood still. Zhou Jinyan then took a photo of him with his phone. In the photo, the Border Collie’s expression was the perfect image of a guilty thief.

Zhou Jinyan said coldly: “Go on, go back to sleep.”

Tangdou gave an “ow” and scurried out. Zhou Jinyan closed the door; just in case, he decided he should lock it from now on.

Feeling somewhat helpless, Zhou Jinyan sent the photo of the “guilty thief” over: “The culprit.”

Chu Xi was sprawled on the bed, burying his head in his pillow and playing dead. When the phone by the pillow vibrated, he wanted to keep playing dead, but his muscle memory helped him automatically pick up the phone.

Chu Xi: “…”

Chu Xi subconsciously unlocked the phone with his fingerprint. The screen lit up, and Zhou Jinyan’s messages jumped out.

Zhou Jinyan: Image: Border Collie leaning against the wall, eyes filled with guilt.jpg – Zhou Jinyan: The culprit.

In Zhou Jinyan’s Moments, this Border Collie looked majestic, but now he looked completely disheveled. Chu Xi was amused by the contrast.

Chu Xi replied: “Really?”

Realizing that Zhou Jinyan liked him, Chu Xi became bolder in his speech: “Don’t frame our doggy!”

Being mistrusted by Chu Xi, Zhou Jinyan offered a somewhat helpless and pale explanation: “I didn’t frame him.”

Zhou Jinyan thought for a moment, then saved and sent back an emoji that Chu Xi had previously sent him.

 Zhou Jinyan: [Emoji: Crying cat.jpg]

Chu Xi was stunned when he saw the emoji Zhou Jinyan sent. Thinking about the cold Zhou Jinyan using his emoji…

Chu Xi’s heart skipped a beat. So cute.

Chu Xi felt a surge of joy from glimpsing a hidden side of Zhou Jinyan. He sent a “cat hug” emoji: “Alright, alright, I believe you. What’s his name?”

Zhou Jinyan: “Tangdou.”

Chu Xi propped up his face: “What a cute name.

Xiannv (Fairy) was scratching at the door, unable to sleep in the middle of the night. It just so happened he hadn’t taken Xiannv out for a stroll in a long time. Chu Xi’s eyes twinkled as his mind started working: “Do you usually walk Tangdou in the neighborhood?”

Zhou Jinyan: “I do when I’m home. When I’m not, I find someone to help walk him.”

Chu Xi got out of bed and brought Xiannv into the bedroom from outside: “Then when do you walk Tangdou?”

Zhou Jinyan: “Around five or six in the afternoon.”

The times overlapped! Chu Xi was overjoyed. He sniffed Xiannv’s little belly: “Does Xiannv want to go out and play? You do, don’t you!”

Xiannv meowed as if saying: Human! What are you doing!

With the video incident settled, the two chatted for quite a while. Seeing that Chu Xi showed no signs of resisting him, Zhou Jinyan finally found the time to look at the messages Chu Xi had sent earlier.

Scrolling up, five photos of beautiful scenery and an even more beautiful person struck Zhou Jinyan’s eyes with powerful force.

Whether it was intentional or not, the angles of these five photos were all different, but the commonality was that he was looking at the camera. His damp eyes carried a hint of fragility and lingering affection, something that could easily trigger a person’s protective instincts.

Zhou Jinyan’s fingertips paused. Why did Chu Xi send these photos to him?

Just like that ill-timed video call, these photos were also very ill-timed at this moment.

The two were just ordinary roommates.

For such somewhat private photos, the recipient of Chu Xi’s messages could be his good friend Jian Yu, or his… partner, if he had one. Regardless, it shouldn’t have been him.

Perhaps he sent them to the wrong person.

Just like the accident caused by Tangdou, Chu Xi probably wanted to withdraw them but was caught off guard by the video call invitation, missing the window to unsend.

In just a few seconds, Zhou Jinyan had already found an excuse for Chu Xi.

He should have just ignored them, said goodnight to Chu Xi, told him to sleep early, and then spent the rest of the night as if nothing had happened.

But Zhou Jinyan still quoted one of the photos with: “?”

Chu Xi had been playing with Xiannv for a while when his phone vibrated. Only then did he reluctantly look up.

Ah, I completely forgot about the photos.

Distracted by Zhou Jinyan’s video call, Chu Xi had forgotten his own rhythm!

How should he say it… he couldn’t do spontaneous adaptation, so he decided to stick to the plan.

Chu Xi braced himself and acted according to his script: “Oh… I sent them to the wrong person QWQ”

Good. Now, when Zhou Jinyan asks next, I’ll take the opportunity to say: ‘I meant to send them to the File Transfer Assistant!’

Heh, Chu Xi, you really are a master planner.

So he really did send them to the wrong person.

I already figured that out, so why did I go the extra mile to ask?

Zhou Jinyan closed his eyes, feeling a blockage in his heart. Then, who was Chu Xi originally planning to send them to?

Jian Yu? Or… his boyfriend?

Zhou Jinyan felt he should ask clearly, but… he didn’t want to.

Perhaps his resistance toward Zhou Sixuan having a boyfriend had been projected onto Chu Xi; that’s why he was so resistant to the idea of Chu Xi having one.

Zhou Jinyan convinced himself.

Zhou Jinyan replied: “It’s very late. Rest early.”

He thought for a moment and added: “Goodnight.”

Chu Xi was just praising himself for being a little genius, but when he saw Zhou Jinyan’s reply, the message he had drafted—”I meant to send them to the File Transfer Assistant! ^o^”—suddenly couldn’t be sent.

Why isn’t Zhou Jinyan following the script!

Chu Xi was stunned. He crossly deleted the drafted words; it wasn’t appropriate to send them now.

After thinking it over, he finally composed a message: “Mm-hmm, you should rest early too. Goodnight.”

The next day, Chu Xi slept until one in the afternoon. If he hadn’t been woken by a starving Xiannv, he might have continued sleeping.

Filling Xiannv’s little bowl with cat food, Chu Xi tapped the edge of the bowl: “Alright, come eat, little Fairy baby.”

After settling Xiannv’s lunch, Chu Xi cooked some buckwheat noodles, tossed a salad, and sat at the dining table eating leisurely.

The autumn rain that had been falling for several days finally stopped today. Chu Xi checked the weather forecast; it was going to be sunny all through the next week.

The weather today was particularly good. After lunch, Chu Xi held Xiannv on the balcony to soak up the sun. He wanted to discuss last night with Jian Yu, but as soon as the call connected, Jian Yu started crying.

Jian Yu: “Waaaah, I’m no longer pure.”

Chu Xi was shocked: “What do you mean?”

Jian Yu: “Last night I drank too much and accidentally did that with Senior. I’m no longer a vir*in.”

Chu Xi offered congratulations for Jian Yu’s rapid progress: “That’s great! Last week you said Senior was a straight man and hard to chase. This week, your Senior definitely isn’t straight. Straight men don’t… well, with other men.”

Jian Yu said grimly: “The feeling was particularly bad. Don’t be curious.”

Chu Xi didn’t understand at first, but a few seconds later, he became ashamed and angry: “I won’t be curious!”

Who has that kind of progress in a relationship!

The two bickered for a bit more. Jian Yu had been lying on the bed like a salted fish, but when he heard that Chu Xi had almost seen all of Zhou Jinyan on video, he sat up with a start.

Jian Yu: “You couldn’t even make up this kind of experience for a social media post.”

Chu Xi also felt it was bizarre, but reality was just that magical and devoid of logic: “So what did Zhou Jinyan mean last night? His reaction was so flat.”

Jian Yu pondered: “It’s normal. After all, an accidental video call is awkward enough, let alone when only wearing a towel… It’s not that his reaction was flat, but rather that after the huge ups and downs, he just became indifferent, I think.”

Chu Xi was convinced: “That makes sense.”

There was some noise on Jian Yu’s end. Chu Xi listened carefully; it sounded like Jian Yu’s Senior’s voice.

Chu Xi tactfully hung up the phone and sent Jian Yu several emojis: Image: Putting lovers before friends.jpg Emoji: Angry cat.jpg

Hmph. It’s not just you who has a date with a crush. I have one too!

Chu Xi thought about it and decided to remind Zhou Jinyan.

Because Zhou Jinyan had framed Tangdou last night, Chu Xi had changed his nickname. He changed “Zhou Jinyan” to a dog emoji and an angry emoji.

Chu Xi clicked in, thought about it, and with a bit of a hidden motive, changed Zhou Jinyan’s nickname to “Gége” (Big Brother).

 Chu Xi: Nudged “Gége.”

 Chu Xi: Zhou-ge, we’re seeing the movie at seven tonight. Do you want to grab dinner together?

Zhou Jinyan didn’t reply immediately. Chu Xi went to the cloakroom to pick out an outfit for tonight’s date.

This one won’t do; it makes my proportions look 50/50. This one won’t do; the color is too dull. This one won’t do either; it’s too formal.

In the end, he put together an outfit with a strong autumn vibe. Chu Xi then went to style his hair. By the time he was finished, an hour had passed.

By the time Chu Xi finished cleaning up, Zhou Jinyan had replied.

 Gége: Sure. Where should we eat?

Ohhh, Zhou Jinyan agreed! Chu Xi was already happy from dressing himself up beautifully; now, receiving Zhou Jinyan’s reply made him even more spirited.

 Chu Xi: Anywhere is fine. How about we eat near the cinema?

 Chu Xi: Is that okay? owo

 Gége: Sure.

Gége: I’ll drive to pick you up later. Is 5:30 okay?

 Chu Xi: Sounds good.

There was still half an hour until 5:30. Chu Xi arranged Xiannv’s dinner and water, topping up what was missing. He checked if the gas was off and if the windows were closed before finally feeling at ease to leave.

At 5:20, after Chu Xi walked out, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

Chu Xi checked; it was a message from Zhou Jinyan.

Gége: I’m waiting for you at the neighborhood entrance.

Chu Xi: Okay owo I’m almost there too.

When Chu Xi walked to the neighborhood entrance, the familiar Cullinan was indeed waiting there.

Chu Xi expertly sat in the passenger seat of the Cullinan and buckled his seatbelt. The car music happened to be soft light music; the awkwardness Chu Xi felt from last night was instantly swept away.

The cinema was not far from the Haishengyuan neighborhood. it was in a commercial district sandwiched between University A and the neighborhood. Since it was the weekend, people were coming and going everywhere.

Zhou Jinyan finally found a parking spot. The two walked side-by-side through the crowd; the little interlude from last night seemed to have been forgotten by both parties.

Chu Xi wasn’t short, but he couldn’t be called tall either. Someone walking too fast bumped into him, and his center of gravity shifted as he prepared to stumble. Zhou Jinyan’s brows knit together. He supported Chu Xi to prevent him from falling and then pulled him to walk in front of him, moving in a staggered formation.

Chu Xi was momentarily stunned by this irresistible force. When he heard Zhou Jinyan ask him what he wanted to eat, he finally snapped back to reality.

Although the autumn rain had stopped and there was a bright sun today, it couldn’t melt the chill of the season. Chu Xi thought about it: “Let’s have hotpot, how about it?”

It just so happened that a friend from his university club had recommended a good hotpot place nearby. He hadn’t found the time to try it until now. Now was perfect.

Hotpot could also keep them warm!

Zhou Jinyan had no objections: “Sure.”

By the time the two arrived, their luck was good; they were able to go inside right after taking a number.

Sitting at the table, Zhou Jinyan asked Chu Xi what kind of dipping sauce he liked. Chu Xi wasn’t picky: “Anything is fine.”

Zhou Jinyan: “Okay.”

After a while, Zhou Jinyan returned. He had prepared two identical dishes of sauce. At this time, the staff brought out the soup base, vegetables, and meat.

Seeing Chu Xi happily putting meat into the pot and then happily eating the dipped meat like a little hamster, Zhou Jinyan felt it wasn’t the right time to ask if the sauce suited his taste.

Judging by how happily Chu Xi was eating, it seemed the sauce was to his liking.

Zhou Jinyan withdrew his gaze and did some last minute homework, searching to see what kind of movie The Little Moon the one Chu Xi invited him to actually was.

When the search results came up, the movie reviews were filled with “Waaaah, such a touching romance,” and “So sweet, they match so well.” Only then did he realize that Chu Xi had invited him to watch a romance film.

Zhou Jinyan’s breath hitched. Chu Xi, what does it mean that he invited me to watch a romance film?