I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: “Master, What Kind of Work Do You Do…?”

Today was an overcast day. Without the caress of the sun, it felt particularly damp and cold.

The person outside the house rang the doorbell and waited quietly for a moment.

After a series of “patter-patter” footsteps, the door was pulled open just a crack. The warmth from inside rushed out immediately, followed by a fluffy head poking out from behind the door, carrying a cozy, sweet scent.

“……”

The moment their eyes met across the half-open door, both saw a flicker of surprise in each other’s gaze.

As they stared, the cold air seeped in, and Qi Xu couldn’t help but shiver. His slippers were stained with mud from the balcony plants, and fearing he would dirty the living room carpet, he had kicked them off earlier. Now, standing barefoot, the chill climbed up his ankles, making him curl his toes.

Qi Xu sized him up. The man outside wore a dark padded jacket, was very tall, and had a black bag slung over his shoulder. Although surprised that the “repairman” looked much younger than his voice on the phone suggested, it was too cold at the door to think much further.

“You got here so fast! Come in, quickly.”

Qi Xu pursed his lips and gave a polite wave, signaling him to enter. However, after taking a few steps, Qi Xu realized the man hadn’t followed.

The man remained outside, saying nothing, staring down at his phone. The homeowner had to tiptoe back to the door, tilting his head. “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yingshen turned off his screen. His downward gaze landed right on those bare feet. What met his eyes was a dazzling white, with only the ankles and tips of the toes flushed a faint red.

Noticing his gaze, Qi Xu followed his look down to his own feet and realized: “Ah, it’s okay. Just come in, you don’t need to take off your shoes.”

“…” Jiang Yingshen silently looked away, his brow furrowing imperceptibly as he studied the person before him.

Judging by Qi Xu’s attitude, he didn’t seem surprised by his arrival at all. Jiang Yingshen’s fingers brushed over his phone; he had just checked the message to ensure his location was correct. When Senior Cheng Xian came to him, she said she needed help “looking after a kid.” He had assumed “kid” meant a young child…

Jiang Yingshen hesitated for two seconds but chose to follow him in. Since he had checked before and confirmed there were no issues, he would just explain everything clearly today and end this commission early. He quickly straightened out his thoughts and formed a plan.

Qi Xu led him to the living room, just in time to run into the person coming out from washing his hands.

Xie Chengyan was meticulously drying the water droplets from his hands. He glanced at Qi Xu, then shifted his gaze to the man behind him. Jiang Yingshen hadn’t expected anyone else to be in the house and stared back.

The moment their eyes met, both frowned slightly. For no apparent reason, they simultaneously felt a subtle sense of friction toward this stranger.

Caught in the middle, Qi Xu didn’t notice the tension; he just blinked at Xie Chengyan.

“Since the person is here, I’ll head back,” Xie Chengyan said.

“Are you leaving already?” Qi Xu stepped closer, feeling a bit regretful. “Thank you for today; I haven’t had a chance to thank you properly.”

Xie Chengyan adjusted his rolled-up cuffs. Hearing this, he lifted his eyelashes and shot him a glance. For some reason, Qi Xu instantly understood the unsaid words in his eyes: Not bothering me again is the best thanks.

“…” Qi Xu looked away, pretending he didn’t understand.

Catching sight of the “repairman” being ignored, Qi Xu scratched his cheek and instinctively reached out to grab Xie Chengyan’s sleeve. “Wait for me a second.” Then he turned to the person behind him: “The broken faucet is on the balcony.”

Qi Xu led Jiang Yingshen to the balcony door, pointing at the leaking pipe. “I’ll trouble you then.”

Jiang Yingshen: “…?” Trouble me with what?

But he quickly understood—he was being asked to fix it. Looking at the mess on the balcony, Jiang Yingshen recalled his chat records with Senior Cheng Xian; this definitely shouldn’t include janitorial or maintenance work.

His thin lips parted. Just as he was about to clarify, he met a pair of sparkling eyes.

Qi Xu tilted his head, his eyes curving into crescents. “Thank you. I just moved in; I really wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

The sweet words flowed out effortlessly. Someone who didn’t know the context might mistake them for a confession of love.

Xie Chengyan strolled over as well, standing behind Qi Xu, and reminded Jiang Yingshen: “I just blocked it with something random; you might need some strength to pull it out.”

Jiang Yingshen, who had mysteriously been entrusted with a heavy responsibility: “…”

Ultimately, under the gaze of the two, he stepped onto the balcony and took over a job that wasn’t his.

…

After the pipe issue was handled, Qi Xu turned his attention back to Xie Chengyan. Remembering the pudding he had learned to make from the housekeeper last night, Qi Xu ignored everything else and brought out the semi-finished dessert, brewing a cup of good tea to go with it.

Xie Chengyan sat on the sofa, quirking an eyebrow at the blob of dessert that didn’t look particularly edible, though the smile on his face didn’t falter.

“It’s edible,” Qi Xu declared, defending his work. It just wasn’t very pretty, plus it was a little bit too sweet.

Xie Chengyan didn’t respond to the guarantee. He simply picked up the tea before Qi Xu could urge him further.

Qi Xu sat down beside Xie Chengyan, staring at the sleeve he had dirtied earlier on the balcony. He pursed his lips. “Your clothes are dirty. Why don’t you take them off? I’ll wash them for you.”

Xie Chengyan took a slow sip of tea and set the cup down unhurriedly. Seeing he didn’t speak, Qi Xu’s lips pressed tighter together. After a few seconds of silence, the smile remained on Xie Chengyan’s face, but his eyes were mocking. “Why is the little young master so keen on taking off my clothes?”

The question wasn’t loud, but in the quiet environment, it was startling enough. Qi Xu subconsciously looked toward the third person present; fortunately, the person crouching on the balcony showed no reaction.

“Not always,” Qi Xu whispered back. He had only mentioned it twice!

Xie Chengyan let out a soft laugh, feeling no guilt at all for his deliberate misinterpretation.

The two sat on the sofa, very close. Qi Xu stared at his smiling profile, suddenly remembering what had happened on the lounge sofa that night. Qi Xu blinked, and his curiosity bubbled up again. “About the banquet last week…”

Xie Chengyan thought he was finally bringing it up to question him. But it seemed the focus was not at all on that absurd encounter.

“Actually, I planned to give you a gift to say thank you—a handkerchief,” Qi Xu observed Xie Chengyan’s expression before continuing. “But it seems I lost it in the lounge. Did you see it?”

In truth, compared to what Xie Chengyan had done to him that night, Qi Xu was more curious about why that handkerchief was worth so many Simp Points—especially since he hadn’t even given it to him personally.

Xie Chengyan was prepared for accusations, but he hadn’t expected the curiosity to be about something so trivial. His smiling eyes fixed on Qi Xu’s face as the memory of that light-colored fabric surfaced in his mind. Soft, with a faint fragrance.

After a moment, he looked away, acting regretful. “Really? That’s a pity, but I didn’t see it.”

His tone was firm and didn’t seem fake. Qi Xu hadn’t been sure if the handkerchief had ended up with him anyway. But if Xie Chengyan was telling the truth, it was even stranger. Where did those 8 Simp Points come from?

“Was it something very expensive?” Noticing Qi Xu was spacing out, Xie Chengyan tapped his fingers and asked.

“No, it’s not a big deal,” Qi Xu snapped back to reality. He remembered he had kept several other designs when picking the handkerchief for Xie Chengyan. “I have more. Wait for me, I’ll go get them for you.”

Before Xie Chengyan could answer, Qi Xu dashed away. He stared at the slender retreating back and quirked an eyebrow.

Then the balcony door was pushed open. “I need to turn off the water valve now to replace the joint.”

Jiang Yingshen stood at the glass door, removing his wet gloves. He looked in the direction the homeowner had disappeared and suggested to the man on the sofa. Xie Chengyan slowly retracted his gaze and looked at Jiang Yingshen. Their eyes met again.

After two seconds of silence, Xie Chengyan nodded. “The main valve should be outside.”

His apartment layout was identical to Qi Xu’s, so the utility valves were in the same place. Leading him to the shared utility closet, Xie Chengyan pointed to a knob. “It should be this one.”

Jiang Yingshen tightened the valve with practiced ease and gave a quiet thanks. Just as he was about to head back inside, Qi Xu came rushing out—but he was headed for the person behind him.

“I thought you’d gone home!” Qi Xu pushed the three other handkerchiefs he had found into Xie Chengyan’s hands. “I’m giving them all to you.”

Jiang Yingshen looked down, his gaze inadvertently brushing over those watery eyes. It seemed those eyes looked at everyone with that same earnestness. Without staying any longer, Jiang Yingshen bypassed Qi Xu and went straight back into the house.

Qi Xu’s attention was entirely on his task target. He pressed his advantage: “Can I take you out to dinner?”

His fingers brushed over the edges of the gift box. Xie Chengyan smiled helplessly. “I’ve already thanked you for the previous matter. With the little young master being so persistent, I can’t help but suspect you have designs on me.”

Having his intentions exposed, Qi Xu scratched his cheek and gave a sheepish smile. “Ah… is it that obvious?”

Xie Chengyan narrowed his eyes, somewhat surprised by the boy’s honesty. However, the proposal was rejected in the end.

Xie Chengyan: “I’ll accept the handkerchiefs, but there’s no need for dinner.”

Qi Xu felt it was a pity but didn’t push. After all, it was too cold outside. He had rushed out just now without even putting on an extra layer of clothing.

After watching Xie Chengyan enter his home, Qi Xu scurried back into his own little nest. But he almost forgot there was still someone else in the house.

Perhaps because the large leaves of the fiddle-leaf fig were in the way, it had been moved into the living room. Although the person had carefully wrapped the root system in a trash bag to keep the floor clean, the water dripping from the leaves still gathered into a small puddle. Several of the lush green leaves had snapped and were drooping pitifully, making Qi Xu feel a bit guilty.

So, he ducked into the storage room, rummaged for a while, and found half a bag of potting soil and a plastic bin. Knowing the outdoor temperature was low, Qi Xu left the balcony door wide open, hoping the indoor heating would soften the harsh cold of the balcony.

Qi Xu crouched in front of the fiddle-leaf fig, observing the person on the balcony from a few steps away. The man’s jacket and bag were placed on a flower rack. He wore gloves, and his hoodie sleeves were rolled up, revealing strong, sturdy wrists. He couldn’t tell if it was sweat or splashed water on the man’s face, but droplets were gathering and sliding down his jawline.

Even though this “master” looked young, his skills were quite practiced.

Perhaps his gaze was too direct; the other person stopped what he was doing and turned his head. Qi Xu pursed his lips and curved his eyes at him. Then, as if just remembering his “mission,” he lowered his head and stuffed the half-dead plant, trash bag and all, into the plastic bin.

After he looked away, the other person returned to work. Uncomfortable with the silence, Qi Xu started filling the bin with soil while forcing a conversation.

“Master, what kind of work do you do?”

He was just making small talk, but the person on the balcony paused again. Only this time, the look he gave Qi Xu was one of complete bewilderment.

Qi Xu looked up and met his gaze, feeling the awkwardness in the silence. “Haha, I was just… joking.” After all, the man was holding a wrench; it wasn’t like he could be a doctor.

Jiang Yingshen frowned slightly, giving Qi Xu a deep, long look. After a moment, he raised his hand to wipe the water from his chin, suppressing the strangeness in his heart.

Receiving no response to his joke, Qi Xu only felt a familiar coldness from this man. But before he could further investigate the source of this familiarity, the doorbell rang.

Qi Xu was stunned. Who could it be at this hour? Several figures flashed through his mind.

Right at that moment, the long-silent system suddenly popped up with an alert: Host, a male lead has been detected nearby.

The flickering image finally settled on his tall neighbor across the hall. Why was Xie Chengyan coming to his door of his own accord?

Qi Xu patted the dirt from his palms and stood up to open the door. However, when the door opened, the person outside was not who he expected.

The visitor was indeed a man, but he wasn’t very tall, was somewhat stout, and was wearing a blue-and-gray work uniform with a simple, honest smile on his face.

Before Qi Xu could ask, the man greeted him: “You’re the one who called to have the pipes fixed, right?”

Qi Xu’s brain stalled again. This man’s voice was definitely the one he had heard on the phone.

So… this was the repairman he had called.

Then who was the person currently in his house?

The system, after buffering for a while, provided an answer: Energy from Male Lead Jiang Yingshen detected.

Who?

Qi Xu suspected he had been infected by the system’s lag; his brain couldn’t process the situation for a long time. Right then, a sound of something heavy hitting the floor came from inside. Snapping back to reality, Qi Xu immediately turned and ran toward the balcony.

But in his panic, he didn’t notice the curled edge of the carpet. As he neared the balcony door, he tripped hard. Fortunately, he landed on the soft, thick carpet.

However, the fall startled Jiang Yingshen, who was leaning down to pick something up.

One kneeling, one crouching, they stared at each other from an arm’s length away for a long time.

“Senior?!” Qi Xu was now certain.

Jiang Yingshen: “…”

The previous sense of strangeness was indeed correct.