Chapter 37 - Wallpaper

Yul looked at him with adoration, sleep running away from his eyes. The way this doctor blushed whenever he did things like this to when he was so serious and mature, all shades of him were very lovable. Before he met Zeng, Yul believed himself to be quite mature, though he knew he had a lot to learn. "Say Zeng ge, were you always so mature and understanding?"

"Yeah, I guess," Zeng admitted, "This world is a cruel, yet fascinating place. There are all sorts of people with all sorts of personalities. I have seen it all in my college days. I learnt the most during that time."

Yul perked up at the mention of Zeng's college days, his attention easily diverted by a new topic at hand, "How did you look in your college days?" He asked, eyes full of curiosity.

"Don't you have an early meeting tomorrow?" Zeng glared.

"I am not anymore sleepy," Yul said with a pout, "And it's not even ten yet."

Zeng saw that the boy had no intention to leave him without answers. He sighed. Guess it was bonding time. "I was a typical nerd, who spent most of my time in the library rather than partying or going to the gym," he said, "Maybe, that's why I never gained any muscles." Zeng looked at his feeble arms in disappointment and shrugged. "Well, I am not bragging but I was academically brilliant. Always in the top three in my batch, professors' favourite and stuff like that."

"Do you have a photo?" Yul asked, instantly. He so badly wanted to see the college nerd version of Zeng.

"Maybe."

"Come on, search for it. I want to see how you were back then."

Sighing, Zeng grabbed his phone and scrolled at the end of his gallery. There were some random shots and a few selfies. "Here it is but promise me you won't laugh."

"If it's not a laughing matter, I won't laugh, I promise," Yul dictated the exact same words Zeng had used on him, earning a well-deserved slap on the arm from the older man.

Zeng gave him the phone, partly nervous of the reaction. He had always considered his old selfies as embarrassing and was certainly not proud of showing them around.

"Woah!" Yul exclaimed, "You were so young!"

Zeng snorted, "Duh, of course, I was. It was like six-seven years ago. Wait . . . does that mean I look old now?" He frowned.

Yul gave him a deadpan stare and ignored him as he gaped in adoration at Zeng's younger picture. In his college days, the boy had a mushroom cut, black-framed thick glasses, wearing a smile that showed his buck teeth with full lips and a mole beneath the lower one. He was much shorter but still tall for a college student. Overall, a really slim figure but he definitely looked healthier back then as compared to the dark circles and sunken cheeks of now. His face was a bit fuller and he appeared fluffier. However, his eyes still retained the same gentle warmth and that gorgeous smile even in the present.

"You looked cute," Yul concluded, smiling ear to ear, "Now you have a mature aura around you. In here, you were so sweet and innocent. Someone who is too precious and must be protected at all costs." Yul handed back the device, "I still see it the same way though."

Zeng blushed at that and shook his head, diverting the topic away from him, "What about you? Now you got to show me some of your old pics."

"No way," Yul rejected with a sly grin, "Who would keep their old pics in their phone? Definitely, not me. It's so embarrassing!"

Zeng felt cheated, "It's not fair. You get to see my embarrassing old pics but I don't! That's so not fair. Come on, Yul. Please." But Yul had decided to ignore the nagging man.

"Yul… Please." Zeng began tugging at his sleeve, "Officer Wang, please listen to me." He blinked, doe eyes trying to work their magic. Giving in, Yul took his phone, "Alright, but you are not making any nasty comments."

Zeng nodded, waiting patiently as Yul went to someone's Weibo account, a middle-aged lady that he recognised as Yul's mother. He saw many images of foods and beverages, decorations and stuff till Yul stopped scrolling at one particular image.

Zeng snatched the phone from his hands and looked at the younger image of Yul.

It was like any regular kid, wearing a green sleeveless shirt and half pants, eating something from a wrapper. Zeng zoomed over his face, then zoomed out and returned the phone back to its owner all while keeping a stoic face. Yul raised his eyebrows, asking why the man was so serious.

"Looks like those chubby cheeks are a permanent thing," Zeng said, bursting into laughter and Yul rolled his eyes.

After that Yul spent his time sulking as Zeng kept making subtle jokes about the baby fat on his cheeks. And Yul seriously regretted showing the picture to him. Damn those doe eyes, they were so hard to reject.

"Send it to me," Zeng finally said, wiping his cheeks, when he was done laughing. "No way!" Yul flat-out rejected, "You'll keep making fun of me."

Zeng snatched the device from Yul's hand and sent the photo to his own, despite Yul protesting. After a few clicks on his phone, Zeng flashed his screen to Yul, which had the same photo set as his wallpaper.

"Why would you-" Yul was too touched to say anything. He was confused and blank.

"Your baby energy is positively contagious," Zeng said in response, "Whenever I will take a look at this, it will give me instant energy from time to time to work throughout the day." He said, smiling sweetly at the screen, "You were adorable, Yul. You still are."

It was too much to take and so Yul threw himself on Zeng and crushed him in a hug, "You are the adorable one." Zeng giggled, hugging him back, "Am I now? But you won't be getting any of my pics."

"Why?" Yul whined as he sat up. It was his turn to feel cheated. "I also want to set you as my wallpaper! Give it to me!"

Zeng hid his phone from Yul's reach, "Not happening. A grown-up man keeping some wallpaper of another grown-up man is embarrassing. Kids are a different deal. Look at you, you were so cute! Mochi!" He pinched Yul's cheek for emphasis.

Yul groaned, "You get to set your wallpaper but I don't? That's not fair. You are so sly, Zeng ge! Cheater!"

Zeng laughed getting up, "Too bad, you fell for this sly cheater." He pulled Yul up, "Come on, it's your bedtime. Let's put baby Yul to sleep." He singsonged, teasing the younger man.

Yul let himself get dragged by the doctor because he was too whipped to stay angry for long.. And he was on Zeng's wallpaper now! He was more than happy for that.