In a Relationship With the Rugged Guy Next Door - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: “You are surrounded by gay men.”

Chen Jingming was a little annoyed.

What should I do if my brother keeps treating me like I’m useless?

Problems with home security systems are usually caused by the power supply, network cables, or hardware failure. After a simple investigation, Jingming discovered it was a network cable issue and fixed it quickly.

Chu Feng was actually quite surprised. When Jingming worked, he was efficient and neat—nothing like a child.

“Thank you so much. Without you, we wouldn’t have known what to do. We waited days and no one came to fix it,” the grandmother said, clutching Jingming’s hand in gratitude. She even packed a bag of “Ding-Ding” candy for him.

Jingming politely declined, waving his hands.

Grandma: “Take it. Eat it as a snack.”

Jingming turned to look at Chu Feng. Only after Chu Feng smiled and nodded did he dare accept it. “Thank you, Grandma.”

Ding-Ding candy is an old-fashioned handmade maltose. Because the vendors are mobile and use metal tools to cut the sugar—making a “ding-ding” sound as they walk through the streets—it earned that name.

“So sweet,” Jingming said, offering a piece to Chu Feng.

Chu Feng refused. “I don’t like that stuff. That’s for kids.”

Jingming: “Brother, have you ever considered that I’m twenty-four years old?”

Chu Feng: “I know.”

“Then why do you always say that to me?”

“That’s not the same thing.” Chu Feng had his own logic. “In my heart, you’ll always be a kid—cute, loves snacks, loves to cry, and loves to act spoiled.”

A rebuttal got stuck in Jingming’s throat. What kind of “doting-on-my-younger-brother” trope is this?

He felt so powerless.

“Brother, today Lang-ge took me to get a new SIM card. I’ll need my phone when I start work tomorrow.” Just as the words left his mouth, he stepped on a loose stone slab and twisted his ankle.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t really hurt. I’ll just walk it off.”

Chu Feng knelt down and felt the ankle over and over, frowning. “I told Li Yongjing last year that these stone paths needed fixing, and still nothing. Baby, get on. Brother will carry you home.”

Jingming wasn’t just being polite; it really didn’t hurt. “No need.”

Chu Feng: “Get on, quick.”

It was happening again. Jingming had no choice but to climb onto Chu Feng’s back.

It was a strange feeling. No one had carried him since he left Changxi. He had been eleven then, and only Chu Feng would carry a nearly ninety-pound boy on his back every day.

In truth, Jingming didn’t want to be a child. Children have no say in anything.

“Baby.”

“Mm?”

Jingming had maltose in his mouth, the sweet scent enveloping Chu Feng. Chu Feng held Jingming’s legs steadily, as if he were holding his favorite doll from childhood.

But Chu Feng didn’t actually have dolls as a child. He barely had toys. His mother had passed away early, and his father was always busy with work. Before the age of eleven, he and his father had moved around several places before finally settling in Changling Town.

His father remained busy, but then Chen Jingming appeared.

No matter how eccentric or withdrawn someone was, they would be moved by a five-year-old Chen Jingming. Thus, Jingming became Chu Feng’s “doll.”

Chu Feng walked steadily, step by step, and spoke softly: “I treat you like this for my own sake, actually. After you left, I realized something: humans have a need to give love. When I love something, I feel like my own life becomes vibrant. Aside from my parents, the first person I loved was you, Baby. If you don’t let me be good to you, I’ll feel empty.”

The speech was met with silence. Chu Feng tilted his head slightly. “Baby, why are you quiet?”

Tears flowed into Jingming’s mouth—sweet and salty.

Jingming let out a few muffled hums. The moonlight cast their intertwined shadows. Jingming really wanted to ask why Chu Feng hadn’t contacted him back then.

“Later on, I tried to meet girls,” Chu Feng said, laughing bashfully at himself.

Jingming’s sorrow and emotion came to a screeching halt. “…”

Chu Feng: “In university, my roommate’s girlfriend set me up. She told me to go on a date with her roommate. We walked in the park all day until she got heatstroke. I don’t know how to date.”

Jingming wiped his tears. “What happened then?”

Chu Feng: “She got angry. Her roommates chased me around and scolded me for days. So it fell through.”

“Pfft—”

“Don’t laugh at me.” Chu Feng was mortified. “That was the only time in school. Then I graduated and came home.”

Jingming shook with laughter on his back. “You’re so clumsy, Brother.”

Chu Feng: “No experience.”

Jingming teased him: “When she got tired, didn’t you know to carry her?”

“How could that be the same?” Chu Feng laughed. “That was a girl.”

Jingming: “So you just carry boys whenever?”

Chu Feng: “It’s not like anything would happen with a boy.”

“What if…” Jingming’s brain whirled, and he asked tentatively, “What if he’s gay? Like that Boss Zhuang?”

Chu Feng: “Where would all these gay people come from?”

Jingming rolled his eyes and went silent.

I think you’re surrounded by gay men.

…

The next day was Jingming’s first day of work. After washing up, he went to bed early. He inserted the new SIM card into his phone, registered a new WeChat, and then called his best friend, Xue Dongni.

“Hello?”

“Nini, it’s me, Jingming.” Jingming was a bit excited and sat up to talk. “This is my new number.”

Xue Dongni: “Why are you only contacting me now?! I’ve been worried sick with no news!”

Jingming: “I’m sorry.”

“Fine, I forgive you.” Xue Dongni was still with her film crew. She shared a room with a girl from the same team, so she stepped outside to talk. “How are things in Changxi? Is your brother good to you?”

Jingming glanced at Chu Feng, who was folding clothes. “Yeah, he is. I’m okay now, Nini. I even found a job here; I start tomorrow.”

Xue Dongni was surprised. “You’re not coming back? What about your job here? And your parents…”

Jingming explained the job was a short-term project. But in truth, he hadn’t decided what to do about his life back there, or his adoptive parents.

“Have your parents contacted you?” Xue Dongni asked.

They were long-time best friends who shared everything. Nini knew his situation.

Jingming lowered his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t dared to look at my old phone, but they were very angry because of ‘that incident’.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Nini said.

Jingming: “They said if I hadn’t gone against their wishes to become a screenwriter, none of this would have happened.” He sighed softly. “I really did drag them into this.”

Xue Dongni: “Don’t say that! You’ve been so obedient. You gave them all the money you made the last two years. What more do they want? As your parents, shouldn’t they stand up and support you?!”

Jingming laughed awkwardly. “Let’s not mention it. I’ll call them in a few days to let them know I’m safe. What about you? Are you doing okay, Nini?”

They had so much to catch up on. When Jingming got tired of sitting, he lay on his stomach and kept talking. The call lasted an hour. Chu Feng finished his chores and sat nearby on his phone, waiting for him.

“Okay, get some rest. Bye-bye.”

Jingming hung up. He turned to find Chu Feng watching him.

“What?”

“Who was that?” Chu Feng asked, looking gossipy as he propped his head on one hand. “A girl?”

Jingming: “Yeah, her name is Xue Dongni.”

Chu Feng: “Girlfriend?”

Jingming let out a confused ‘Huh?’. “Not a girlfriend. A female friend. What are you thinking, Brother?”

His tone and conversation with Nini were clearly platonic. He didn’t know how Chu Feng could think otherwise.

“Baby is shy.” Chu Feng reached out and ruffled Jingming’s messy hair.

Nini and I are obviously just friends, whereas he’s the one acting all close when he chats with other girls.

Jingming remembered how close Chu Feng had stood while talking to Sister Orange the other day. He felt a strange pang of jealousy.

“No, I’m not,” Jingming said.

“Sure, sure.” Chu Feng’s face was still plastered with a grin, acting as if he were just humoring Jingming.

Jingming stared at him until Chu Feng felt uncomfortable.

Chu Feng coughed. “Alright, sleep.”

He pulled Jingming into his arms and turned off the lamp.

It was late April. Outside, the sounds of cicadas and frogs filled the air. The spring cicadas were relatively quiet and usually ignored during conversation, but once the lights were off, their interwoven calls became very distinct.

Jingming still felt a bit out of sorts. He pushed Chu Feng with his elbow. “Don’t touch me.”

Chu Feng: “Cuddling to sleep.”

Jingming: “No.”

Chu Feng chuckled and pulled him in with his strong arms. “Go to sleep!”

…

Work at the Media Center was from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Since Teacher Xie Yan wasn’t a regular staff member—he was from the Provincial Publishing House—he didn’t follow the center’s schedule.

The “Changxi Chapter” of Scenery magazine was a collaborative project. The theme was folklore and landscapes. Since the Media Center had comprehensive archives and Du Li was an expert on local ethnic minority cultures, they borrowed the office space and personnel.

On the first day, Chu Feng wouldn’t let Jingming go alone, despite there being a direct bus. He made Jingming wear his new clothes—a raw linen shirt over a white T-shirt. He looked like a young intellectual.

Jingming, who usually wore “super-kiddie” clothes, felt a bit embarrassed by the look, thinking it was too formal.

“You look good like this,” Chu Feng said.

Chu Feng himself was tanned dark by the sun; anything he wore made him look like a farmer.

The drive took about half an hour. Du Li had told him to arrive thirty minutes late on the first day, fearing no one would be there to open the door. Surprisingly, even with the delay, the door was still locked.

“What kind of workplace is this?” Chu Feng stood with one hand on his hip, the other holding coffee he’d bought for the colleagues. “Not a single person is on time!”

Jingming laughed. “Isn’t that great?”

Chu Feng: “No discipline at all.”

Annoyed, Jingming punched Chu Feng in the pec.

“Sorry, sorry!” Du Li ran up the stairs, seeing them waiting. “I had something to do, so I’m late.”

Chu Feng: “What was it?”

Du Li knew Chu Feng’s personality. “Urgent business, important business, critical business.”

Chu Feng smiled. “Fine then. I’m off.”

Jingming waved goodbye. As soon as he left, Du Li started venting. “Your brother is just too old-fashioned sometimes. So rigid. He must boss you around a lot, huh?”

“It’s alright.” Jingming was a bit tense for his first day. “Teacher Du, this coffee is for you.”

Du Li: “Thanks! Here, your workstation is here, right across from me. Did you eat breakfast?”

Jingming: “Yes.”

“Okay, then you rest for a bit while I eat mine,” Du Li said, pulling a bag of steamed buns from her bag. “An old man cut in line while I was buying these. I argued with him for ten minutes! I was fuming.”

Jingming sat down at the liver-red desk. He looked at the empty Editor-in-Chief seat, the mountains of books in the office, and Teacher Du Li leisurely eating her breakfast after being late.

This job… was definitely the right choice.