Help, My Buff Roommate is Begging to Touch my Abs - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Wife Giving a Foot Bath

Jin Bao’er quickly raised his head and looked at the sweat-drenched Zhao Yuheng, his eyes filled with a bit of fawning and panic.

As he spoke, he hurriedly pulled out a tissue and handed it over.

Zhao Yuheng snatched it away; that tissue appeared exceptionally tiny in his broad palm. He rubbed it haphazardly across his face a couple of times, not even looking to the side, and with a flick of his wrist, he made a casual toss.

With a “swish,” the crumpled paper landed precisely in the trash can two meters away.

“Hehe, Brother Heng, have some water.”

Jin Bao’er acted as if he hadn’t seen the show of force, quickly unzipping his backpack to take out a bottle of Wahaha mineral water that still carried a hint of chill.

“I’m not so desperate that I’m missing your one bottle of water.”

Zhao Yuheng’s tone remained sharp, as if dipped in ice, but his hand didn’t stop; he snatched it over. With a “click,” he twisted open the cap, tilted his head back, and poured it into his mouth.

“Gulp, gulp—”

His Adam’s apple rolled violently with the swallowing motion; within a few mouthfuls, half the bottle was gone.

“Brother Heng, drink slowly, drink slowly. Careful not to choke.”

Watching his “ox-drinking” (heavy drinking) manner, Jin Bao’er couldn’t help but offer a concerned reminder.

“Does it take you to manage me?”

Zhao Yuheng set the empty bottle aside, his eyes carrying a few hints of impatience.

Jin Bao’er: “…”

Fine, fine, fine, I’ve finally met my retribution!

The previous Brother Heng who was overbearing but still somewhat gentle was gone; over these past few days, he had been so fierce that Jin Bao’er was almost becoming self-deprecating.

If he hadn’t known that just a few days ago the guy had stood up for him, went out at midnight to buy medicine, and even bribed the dormitory supervisor to get out of the school gate, he would have thought Zhao Yuheng was truly so angry that he wanted nothing to do with him.

“Jin Bao’er, you only bought water for your Brother Heng? You didn’t buy any for us?”

At this time, the Eldest and the Second also sat down, teasing with mischievous smiles. Actually, it was almost 4:00 PM; they could go eat after playing for another hour. They hadn’t brought water purely because they were too lazy to go to the convenience store and wanted to sponge off Jin Bao’er.

“I have some, I have some.”

Jin Bao’er immediately pulled two more bottles of mineral water from his bag and handed them over respectively.

Zhao Yuheng’s face darkened. Watching Jin Bao’er cautiously wait on those two, he felt inexplicably displeased. He grabbed the empty bottle from earlier and, with a swing of his arm, another “swish” sounded as it was thrown accurately into the trash.

Hearing the commotion, the Eldest and the Second couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.

Did this big idiot take the wrong medicine? Making such a big noise just throwing a bottle?

Jin Bao’er also smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Once the Eldest and the Second returned to the court first, Jin Bao’er quickly held back Zhao Yuheng, who was preparing to stand up.

“Brother Heng, yours is different from theirs. Yours is the 2-yuan-a-bottle Wahaha; theirs is a 1-yuan-a-bottle off-brand.”

Jin Bao’er didn’t know why he had to explain; he only felt that Zhao Yuheng’s cold huff just now was probably because he was jealous, so he added a sentence in a moment of desperate inspiration.

“I don’t give a damn about this bit of preferential treatment.”

Zhao Yuheng spoke bluntly, but he stood up with a “whoosh,” leaving Jin Bao’er with a tall and handsome view of his back. In a place where Jin Bao’er couldn’t see, the corner of his mouth curled into a hard-to-detect arc.

Jin Bao’er scratched his head vigorously.

Sigh, how am I supposed to coax this big straight man? I’ve been coaxing him for nearly two days, and there’s no progress at all.

…

Checking the time, it was time to go to his part-time job.

“Brother Heng, I’m going to my part-time job.”

Jin Bao’er called out to Zhao Yuheng, his voice soft and waxy.

Zhao Yuheng ignored him, continuing to dribble the ball as if he hadn’t heard. Jin Bao’er didn’t mind either; he packed his things and headed toward the basketball court gate.

Meanwhile, on the basketball court, Zhao Yuheng finally stopped his movements. His gaze stared fixedly at that thin, small back until a basketball slammed hard against him, bringing him back to his senses.

“Ouch!”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking. You asked us to help stand up for him, and now these past few days you’ve started acting cold toward him again.”

The Eldest rubbed his hit arm, speaking in a strange tone.

“If you knew the reason for the matter, you wouldn’t say that.”

Zhao Yuheng gave him a cold look, his eyes carrying a few hints of warning.

“I don’t know, I only know that your Jin Bao’er brings you breakfast every day, washes your clothes, and even washes your boxers. You said yourself you’d protect him, and now look at you, starting to neglect him. Don’t you regret it.”

Jin Bao’er was the “group pet” of their dormitory and loved cleanliness. Watching him being neglected by Zhao Yuheng these past few days, the Elder also didn’t feel good in his heart.

This big idiot Zhao never knew what he was thinking from morning till night. Always saying one thing but meaning another; when Jin Bao’er showed kindness, he’d say he didn’t want it while secretly being happy. Truly eccentric.

…

At 9:00 PM, the part-time job ended.

Jin Bao’er dragged his exhausted body back to the dormitory. Pushing the door open, he saw Zhao Yuheng sitting on the stool by his bed, holding his phone with a somewhat weary expression.

Jin Bao’er was puzzled; Zhao Yuheng usually never sat on such small stools; he always just leaped onto his bed. He looked closer and sucked in a breath of cold air.

On Zhao Yuheng’s left ankle, there was actually a thick layer of white bandage!

“Brother Heng, what happened to your leg!”

Jin Bao’er didn’t have time to put down his backpack or change his shoes; he rushed forward and squatted down. His eyes were full of care and worry. His hand hovered over Zhao Yuheng’s ankle, wanting to touch but not daring to, for fear of hurting him.

“It was after you left. A ball from another court accidentally flew over, and your Brother Heng happened to step on it, so his foot got twisted.”

The Eldest, lying on his bed, spoke up to explain.

“Ah, does it hurt! Is it serious!”

Jin Bao’er’s voice carried a tremble; his eyes reddened instantly.

Zhao Yuheng looked down at the two small cowlicks at the crown of his head. Hearing this voice that sounded like it was about to cry, his subconscious instinct was to say “None of your business” or “What does this small injury count for,” but thinking of that trembling voice, the harsh words were forcefully swallowed back.

“Small injury, it’ll be fine after a few days of rest.”

His voice unconsciously softened by a few degrees.

“Then it must be very painful…”

Jin Bao’er mumbled softly, tears swirling in his eyes.

Zhao Yuheng: “…”

This kid, why does he look more upset than I do?

Jin Bao’er suddenly stood up, as if he had made some major decision. He threw his backpack onto Zhao Yuheng’s bed and carefully tidied his own bedding. Actually, it was already very clean. Then, he took down Zhao Yuheng’s pillow and replaced it with his own.

“Brother Heng, your leg is injured; the upper bunk isn’t convenient. Just sleep here in my bed tonight.”

Zhao Yuheng: “…”

The Eldest and the Second exchanged a glance; this was a great opportunity to bring the two together.

“In that case, Jin Bao’er, we’ll leave Old Third in your care.”

“We’re usually quite busy and don’t have time to mind him.”

Zhao Yuheng’s eyes went wide as he looked at those two fair-weather fellows.

Ah?!!

“Don’t worry, I will definitely take good care of Brother Heng!”

As if receiving a major and arduous task, Jin Bao’er’s tone was incredibly firm. He was truly considerate; seeing that Zhao Yuheng was still wearing basketball shoes, he quickly grabbed a washbasin, filled it with warm water, and brought it before him.

“Brother Heng, soak your feet.”

“No need… I can do it myself.”

Zhao Yuheng felt a bit awkward, wanting to shrink his foot back.

“Brother Heng, be good (listen to me).”

Hearing this tone, this “tough man” Zhao Yuheng’s heart inexplicably softened. This tone was exactly like how his mother coaxed him to eat when he was a little soft and waxy, drilling straight into the depths of his heart.

Zhao Yuheng’s thick calf was thus gently lifted by Jin Bao’er. He helped him unlace his shoes, take off the sneakers, and then pull off the somewhat sweat-dampened sock. Then, he carefully placed the uninjured foot into the water.

That serious appearance looked as if he truly were serving an esteemed young master.

Zhao Yuheng’s feet were very large, his palms rough with thin calluses from years of sports, and even his big toes had quite a bit of thick, coarse hair. Jin Bao’er looked at them, but thought to himself:

His family’s male genes are so vigorous; even his feet have such a sense of power.

This was his first time touching a man’s foot so meticulously.

The warm water flowed over the ankle; Zhao Yuheng let out a sigh of comfort. Watching Jin Bao’er’s clean, slender hand gently scrubbing the top of his foot, Zhao Yuheng only felt a warm current rush from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.

All the awkwardness, cold war, and feigned indifference of the past few days seemed to vanish into thin air at this moment. He looked down at Jin Bao’er’s fluffy head, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn up slightly.

Actually, being taken care of by this Jin Bao’er… truly feels quite good.