Chapter 25

Later, they slowly became familiar with each other. Although Wu Xia was popular, he was introverted and had few friends, mostly girls. Perhaps because of their previous interactions, he felt that Ling Sheng was trustworthy, and coincidentally, Ling Sheng had the same sexual orientation as him. So he was particularly nice to Ling Sheng. From the beginning, they talked about pets, and later, knowing that he was busy with work and had a bad stomach, he would cook him some nutritious porridge and soup.

At first, Ling Sheng didn’t accept it, after all, he didn’t want to receive something for nothing. But once, in the store, they encountered a difficult male customer. At that time, there were only two girls and Wu Xia in the store, and none of them dared to provoke him. Ling Sheng solved the trouble for him, and Wu Xia said he wanted to thank him, so he accepted.

As they interacted more, they became more familiar. Ling Sheng could tell that Wu Xia liked him, and he also felt very comfortable being with him. Whenever he worked overtime until very late and came home to a cold house without a trace of warmth, a bowl of hot porridge and a bowl of hot soup were truly heartwarming things.

Once, he was out socializing and drank too much alcohol. When he came back, he saw Wu Xia standing outside his door waiting for him, carrying a thermos pot in his hand with hot soup inside. He suddenly felt that maybe love didn’t need to be so intense. Just having someone accompany you in such a plain and simple way was also very good.

Wu Xia helped him into the house and gave him a towel to wipe his face. He took the opportunity to kiss him.

He was drunk that day and had been socializing all day. He was exhausted. After the kiss, he fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, he saw Wu Xia sleeping on the edge of the bed, probably having taken care of him all night. His eyes were red from staying up, and when he looked at him, they were full of shyness and anticipation.

So they naturally got together.

Wu Xia was gentle and considerate. He didn’t have any other hobbies besides liking pets. He loved to study cooking and had excellent culinary skills. After they were together, they spent a peaceful and warm life.

They would occasionally have breakfast together. At that time, Wu Xia would definitely bring him lunch, which was exquisite and delicious. And if Ling Sheng didn’t work overtime, Wu Xia would go to Ling Sheng’s house, cook for him, and after dinner, they would hug Wu Xia’s cat and go for a walk together.

On weekends, Ling Sheng would occasionally plan a date. Wu Xia was a very easily satisfied person. He was always reluctant to use the things Ling Sheng gave him and would cherish and preserve them carefully. He was also reluctant to spend Ling Sheng’s money on dates, saying that he should save it for a rainy day. He even told the hourly worker at Ling Sheng’s house that he didn’t need to hire them anymore, and he would help him clean the house.

Ling Sheng hardly had to worry about anything when he was with him.

This kind of life went on for three months. Wu Xia treated him better and better every day, but Ling Sheng’s guilt grew day by day.

He clearly knew that Wu Xia liked him, but what he felt for Wu Xia was more like companionship than love. For these three months, he had been trying hard to make himself fall in love with him, but feelings were the most deceptive thing. He couldn’t do it.

Love needed to be reciprocated. He couldn’t reciprocate Wu Xia’s feelings, and he couldn’t enjoy Wu Xia’s kindness while using Wu Xia’s love to deceive him.

But facing Wu Xia’s eager eyes, he couldn’t say it.

Perhaps sensing the change in his attitude, one day, it was raining heavily. Knowing that he had been socializing and drinking, Wu Xia insisted on coming over to bring him soup. After delivering the soup, he stood in the house, hesitant and shy, and said, “Brother Sheng, can I… can I take a shower here?”

He was an adult and not in his first relationship. Of course, he knew what Wu Xia’s words meant.

He gave Wu Xia some clothes. After Wu Xia took a shower, he saw him sitting on the sofa smoking. So he leaned over to kiss him. He knew how much courage it took for the usually introverted Wu Xia to do these things, but he couldn’t drag it on any longer. He shouldn’t and didn’t have the right to ask Wu Xia for or even accept anything anymore. So he pushed Wu Xia away.

Faced with his breakup, Wu Xia was very flustered and kept asking if he hadn’t done well enough in some way and that he could change. Ling Sheng told him truthfully that he didn’t want to delay him.

Later, Wu Xia came to his house every day to wait for him. Ling Sheng couldn’t refuse, but he couldn’t agree either. He was the one who provoked Wu Xia at the beginning, and he was the one who started this relationship. He was the one who owed Wu Xia. Until a month later, Wu Xia suddenly sent him a WeChat message, saying that he had decided to return to Jiang City, and then he left.

Then he couldn’t contact him anymore. The phone didn’t go through, and WeChat messages weren’t returned. He went to the store to look for him, but the people in the store only said that he had resigned. He thought that Wu Xia didn’t want to contact him anymore, so he had to give up.

Later, two months passed, and he went to that pet store again and met a former customer. Only then did he learn that in the time after he broke up with Wu Xia, the man he had dismissed before came to make trouble for Wu Xia again. He didn’t know where he had heard that Wu Xia was gay and used this to humiliate him. Wu Xia didn’t want to involve Ling Sheng and cause him trouble, so he didn’t reveal a word to Ling Sheng. Later, he couldn’t help but get into a conflict with that man. Many things in the store were destroyed, and many customers found out about this.

Wu Xia used his savings to pay for the damages and was too embarrassed to stay any longer, so he resigned.

Ling Sheng wanted to contact him, but the store clerk didn’t know his contact information.

Just now, he asked, and only then did he learn that it was because that WeChat account was wanted by other pet owners that the man put it on the internet. Many strange people came to harass him, so he stopped using it and changed his number. When he added Ling Sheng with his new WeChat account, he didn’t say that he was Wu Xia. Ling Sheng thought it was a stranger, so he didn’t accept the request. Wu Xia also thought that he didn’t want to see him, so he didn’t call him.

Ling Sheng put the chat history in front of Jiang Chen.

Wu Xia: [Brother Sheng, can we still be friends?]

Ling Sheng: [As long as you want, we will always be friends. Next time, I’ll introduce my boyfriend to you.]

Three minutes passed between the messages.

Wu Xia: [Okay.]

Wu Xia: [Brother Sheng, have you found someone you like this time?]

Ling Sheng: [Yes, I like him very much.]

Another three minutes passed.

Wu Xia: [The person who can be liked by you must be very good.]

Wu Xia: [I hope you are always happy, Brother Sheng.]

Ling Sheng had never told him that he liked him directly.

He had said that he liked his figure, liked his body. When he confessed to him, he only said “okay.”

But when he was with another person, he clearly said those words.

“You never told me you liked me.” Jiang Chen said in a low voice.

Ling Sheng put down his phone, unbuckled his seat belt, leaned over, cupped his face, and kissed him: “It’s my oversight, I’m sorry.”

Then he kissed him again: “I like you.”

Jiang Chen finally asked the question deep in his heart: “Actually, I’ve always wanted to ask, what do you like about me? When… when I confessed to you, you didn’t ask anything and just agreed.”

Ling Sheng smiled, deliberately teasing him: “Then can I go back on my word? Can I think about it again?”

Jiang Chen immediately grabbed him: “No, we’ve been dating for so long, you can’t go back on your word.”

This posture was really inappropriate, so Ling Sheng sat back. Jiang Chen held his hand and didn’t let go, so Ling Sheng let him hold it and play with it.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and you only praised my figure at that time. Do you just like my good figure?” Jiang Chen pinched his fingers one by one, and when he pinched the index finger that he had bitten today, he rubbed the fingertip and wanted to bite it again.

Ling Sheng glanced at him: “I just liked you for your looks, so what?”

Jiang Chen looked at his confident appearance, itching his teeth: “…Then I’ll train my figure even better.”

Ling Sheng laughed and fell back into the seat. He felt his finger being bitten into his mouth again. His teeth gently grinding his knuckles, just like a baby who had just grown teeth found his favorite teething stick, expressing his love by putting it in his mouth and not wanting to take it out.

Jiang Chen was still afraid of biting him too hard, so he quickly let go of his finger, put it to his mouth and kissed it: “In your eyes, Wu Xia is so good, not only gentle, sensible, and loving, but also knows how to cook, make soup, clean the house, and can make you a loving lunch. I can’t do any of that.”

Ling Sheng looked at him with a smile. Jiang Chen gritted his teeth and continued, “But I can learn. Give me some time. I’m the one who pursued you, so I’ll be good to you. I’ll do my best to give you what you want.”

Ling Sheng didn’t speak, just looked at him. In the dim light in the car, his eyes fell from his eyebrows to his nose, lips, and then to his chin, and then traced his shoulder line and chest and abdomen, with undisguised appreciation, love, and attachment in his eyes.

“You don’t need to learn anything, you’re already very good.” He said softly.

“No, I want to learn. I want to become better, so good that you won’t be able to look at anyone else in the future.” Jiang Chen silently added cooking to his study list.

In the past, he also felt that liking someone was liking him as he was and didn’t require any changes, otherwise it was conditional love.

But when he truly fell in love with someone, he realized that changing for him was a very natural thing. He didn’t even need the other person to mention it. All the changes were just to make him like him more, and in the process of changing, he could also feel immense joy.

“You are my ideal type.”

Jiang Chen really didn’t expect him to say these words. He looked up and met Ling Sheng’s eyes, serious and focused.

Ling Sheng raised the hand that he had been playing with in his palm and slowly placed his palm on his face, like a sculptor facing the most perfect work, stroking it inch by inch with incomparable cherish: “You don’t need to compare yourself with anyone. You are the standard.”

Ling Sheng seemed to have this ability innately. Sweet words always came easily. Jiang Chen was a science and engineering student. He had been dealing with legal provisions for four years in college, and the people around him were all straight men like him. No one could say sweet words as beautifully as Ling Sheng.

Jiang Chen’s ears were red. He thought that he had been trained by Ling Sheng to have a much thicker skin after dating for so long and wouldn’t be so easily teased, but at this moment, he still felt ashamed as if his whole face was burning. But he also felt incredibly proud because he was being praised and affirmed like this. He said a little awkwardly, “Then… then if you have any requests for me, you must tell me.”

Ling Sheng smiled. He liked the way Jiang Chen looked after being teased, pure and shy.

This big man, with an heroic face, didn’t dare to look at him but kept peeking at his eyes, with sparkling eyes, was simply adorable.

Incredibly alluring.

“I only have one request.”

“Hmm?”

“Be honest with me about your feelings every moment. I hope that every day I bring you is wonderful.”