NH chapter 029

Chapter 29 Little Green Vegetable

The old man felt uneasy, afraid of waking the old lady when he got home, and finally decided to book a room to sleep.

However, since there were more people than expected tonight, it wouldn’t do for everyone to have a room; that would mean over twenty rooms. Zhao Jiayan said that if his parents found out about such a big deal, they’d surely kill him, so no one could have their own room. Thus, they squeezed two people per room, after all, it was just for one night.

During the first part of the road, Shen Tingyu was relatively normal, unlike Xiong Ying, who insisted on befriending a passing golden retriever, or Bai Feiyu, who, due to alcohol allergy, cooled off while riding on Wen Shiyi’s back, shouting “Giddy up! Giddy up!”—things like that.

However, as everyone knows, when drunk, everyone has their own way of going crazy.

Shen Tingyu’s behavior during the latter part of the journey changed from being taciturn to speaking ten sentences in a minute, using Huo Ye’s name as punctuation, with nine out of ten sentences calling for him.

“Huo Ye, are you drunk? You’re swaying a lot.”

“You’re the one who’s drunk.”

“Oh.”

…

“Huo Ye, why are you, a guy, wearing perfume?”

“You heard wrong, it’s the smell of laundry soap.”

“What brand?”

“I won’t tell you, Little Green Vegetable.”

“Humph.”

…

“Huo Ye, your waist is so slim, can I strangle you?”

“If you want to, feel free.”

“Tch.”

…

“Huo Ye, I want the moon in the sky, can you get it for me?”

“It’s a bit difficult, but I’ll try my best.”

“Really?”

“Really, just listen, we’ll arrive soon.”

…

Swiping the card to enter the room, Huo Ye tore Shen Tingyu off him, who was clinging onto him like a big cat, and tossed him onto the bed.

Shen Tingyu lay there, unmoving, his eyes half-closed, his thin lips slightly parted, revealing a bare pink color, a low and hoarse voice that, while sticky, muttered: “Huo Ye, my head hurts.”

“Mm, I’ll call someone to bring a hangover remedy, and I’ll make you a cup of honey water now,” Huo Ye replied gently.

Shen Tingyu said, “I don’t want to drink it; honey is too sweet.”

Huo Ye paused, “Add some lemon?”

Shen Tingyu continued, “I don’t want that either; lemon is too sour.”

Huo Ye raised an eyebrow, “Then just take the medicine.”

“No, it’s too bitter.”

“……”

Without raising his eyes, Huo Ye said, “Then I’ll steep your medicine in honey water, add three fresh squeezed lemons, and then throw in one, two, three, four, five chili peppers. Is that enough, young master?”

Shen Tingyu took two seconds to react, trying in vain to struggle, but accidentally choked on his own saliva: “Y-you dare!”

“Guess if I dare or not.”

Shen Tingyu could do nothing but lie back down silently. After a while, he muffled a cold snort, saying, “Whatever you want.”

Huo Ye glanced at him in surprise, thinking Shen Tingyu would threaten to dock his salary, yet here he was, drunk and suddenly sympathetic.

Before long, there was a knock at the door. Huo Ye went to get the things and put them on the table, then called Song Jianlan, saying he wouldn’t be going home to sleep tonight and would take care of his classmate, who had turned into a fool from drinking.

Song Jianlan asked who it was, and upon learning it was the “helpful little classmate” who had previously taken Huo Ye to the hospital, she had no objections, and even told him to take good care of the person, conveniently returning a favor.

Huo Ye listened to her and simply said, “Mm, it should be done.”

Owing a favor, he naturally had to repay it. Every penny received and every drop of water drank, he remembered, and would never forget.

After Shen Tingyu took the hangover remedy, he started to feel drowsy; after the alcohol buzz faded, all that remained was fatigue and exhaustion.

Although the bed was spacious, he only occupied a small corner, almost burying half his face into the pillow. The contours of his side profile were deep and stark, like rolling mountains, making one unable to resist wanting to trace his high cheekbones and nose with their fingertips.

By the time Huo Ye slowly realized, he had already touched his delicate nose, and it felt cool, like jade.

Shen Tingyu, completely unaware, tightly shut his eyes. Seemingly feeling a bit itchy, he buried his face deeper into the pillow, this motion brushing Huo Ye’s still-extended fingertip, “……”

His hair was thick and long, presenting a dark purple sheen, the strands were fine and relatively soft, with the ends subtly curling into little ringlets.

Holding it in his palm, it felt just like cat fur, so soft it seemed it could slip right through his fingers.

Huo Ye sat at the edge of the bed, looking back and forth, thinking how he resembled the beautiful and valuable long-haired ragdoll cat that Wen Shiyi had at home.

That ragdoll cat, named “Princess Nini,” was over two years old now, larger than an average cat, and when lying down, one might mistake it for a dog, weighing at least twenty-some pounds.

She was heavy, yet didn’t want anyone to say so; she could understand and would throw a tantrum, refusing to eat for several days if anyone mentioned her weight, even rejecting cat treats.

This cat had more energy than a dog, running around the house daily, kicking Wen Shiyi’s figurines and LEGO models from the shelves all over the floor, wagging her tail and padding away.

Wen Shiyi, cold in demeanor and not very talkative, doted on Nini like a treasure, stable in mood like a robot, personally picking up a broom to clean up afterward; if necessary, he would just buy another one.

Xia Zhiyao had vented to everyone more than once, saying that being his cat was really a blessing. There was one time, Wen Shiyi had several scratch marks on the area where his neck connected with his shoulder; Xia Zhiyao was shocked, asking who scratched him.

Wen Shiyi replied that it was Nini who had scratched him. He had done some training at home that weekend without a shirt and ended up getting scratched badly.

Not just on his neck and shoulder; his chest and back had them too.

“I’m speechless, I’m truly speechless. I was even thinking about moving a large elephant here.” Xia Zhiyao couldn’t comprehend, “If she wants to scratch you, just let her scratch? So many scratches, doesn’t it hurt?”

To this, Wen Shiyi expressed, “She didn’t scratch you, why are you feeling pain on my behalf?”

Not just pain, Xia Zhiyao was heartbroken: “Wen Shao, is there still space in your cat’s nest? Should I pack my things and move over tomorrow?”

Wen Shiyi smiled slightly and said, “Then you’d need to burn a lot of incense in your life to hope for a little cat in your next life.”

Xia Zhiyao’s face darkened instantly: “Get lost.”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

Just reminiscing made Huo Ye’s gaze soften; hearing his friends’ laughter indeed felt like the heartbeat of life—it was truly good to be alive, he thought.

Although it wasn’t very realistic, if possible, Huo Ye wanted to be together with everyone forever, becoming the best friends in the world.

After Huo Ye took a shower and came out, Shen Tingyu was still asleep. He lifted the quilt a little and called out a few times, “Shen Tingyu.”

Shen Tingyu had a very serious case of morning grouchiness; upon hearing, he feigned ignorance and irritably pulled the quilt back over him: “Don’t call me.”

This very familiar manner suggested that similar scenes had occurred before, perhaps he was treating him like a maid.

Huo Ye placed his hands on his hips and thought for a moment of a strategy, then leaned down to tug at Shen Tingyu’s quilt again, coaxing: “Didn’t we agree that I’d take care of you? You’ve worn that shirt all day; it smells of alcohol. If you don’t take a shower, I’ll just help you take it off. How can you sleep comfortably in those clothes?”

Shen Tingyu opened his eyes at the sound; in his black pupils, Huo Ye’s face was hazily reflected under the light, as if he was awake yet also seemed not fully awake.

After a while, he dragged himself off the bed, a slightly sullen expression on his face, “…… No need, I’ll take a shower.”

Huo Ye was momentarily stunned, watching Shen Tingyu stumble out of bed toward the bathroom, unsure if the alcohol was affecting him as he moved awkwardly.

Once inside, he even locked the door behind him.

Huo Ye: “……”

Busted out laughing.

He didn’t even know who he was guarding against.