CH 10

Driving into a high-end apartment complex, Ji Canghai parked the car in the garage.

After getting out of the car, Ji Canghai couldn’t help but stare at Ling Yunfan’s knee, which was wrapped in gauze.

“It doesn’t really hurt,” Ling Yunfan who knew what he was thinking quickly reassured him. “You go ahead, and I’ll follow you.”

Ji Canghai extended his hand to Ling Yunfan. “If you won’t let me carry you, at least let me hold your hand.”

Ling Yunfan hesitated but then thought that holding hands wouldn’t cost him anything, so he took Ji Canghai’s hand.

Ji Canghai’s hand was slightly cool and dry, but because his fingers were slender, they easily enveloped Ling Yunfan’s hand.

Ling Yunfan’s initiative made Ji Canghai unconsciously curl his lips as led him into the elevator.

The elevator went straight to the eleventh floor. The apartment complex had one apartment per floor, a clear sign of wealth. Ling Yunfan’s mood became complicated, and the curiosity he had felt earlier vanished, replaced by a sense of alienation and unfamiliarity.

Ling Yunfan followed Ji Canghai awkwardly into the apartment and looked around. He felt increasingly strange, to the point where his body and mind were resisting staying there.

The apartment was empty, clean, and tidy. There were all the expected furniture and appliances, but it was devoid of any personal items. It was like a gorgeous and exquisite showroom that required shoe covers to be worn and nothing could be touched.

Could a place like this really be called a home?

Ling Yunfan couldn’t help but think of the house he had sold to pay off his debts.

Next door lived an aunt who spoke passionately. In his home, the TV cabinet was full of souvenirs that Ling’s father brought back from his business trips. On the wall hung cross-stitching made by Ling’s mother. The dining table was covered with layer upon layer of heat-insulating tablecloths, and the door of the room bore traces that Ling Yunfan had made when he was a child. On the bookshelf, comic books and novels were placed on the left side, and textbooks that he had used from childhood to adulthood were placed on the right. The kitchen had a faint smell of cooking oil, and several cacti were thriving on the balcony.

This is what a home should feel like.

Even the noisy little restaurant owned by Brother Xiong feels more like home than this place.

“This is…” Ling Yunfan looked at Ji Canghai and hesitated to ask, “the place where we used to live together?”

Ji Canghai anticipated that Ling Yunfan would ask this and answered, “I didn’t live here often, I only came two or three times. You had your own home, and six months ago, I went abroad. The day you disappeared, for some reason, you took everything that was left here with you.”

Listening for the first time, there was nothing wrong with what he said.

Before Ling Yunfan could think too much, Ji Canghai took out slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them on the floor. “Come in, don’t stand there. The doctor said you need to rest.”

After Ling Yunfan changed his shoes, Ji Canghai pulled him into the master bedroom, gently asking him to sit on the bedside, and handed him a cup of warm water. He then busied himself with tidying the bed and finding the medicine kit. After a while, he asked Ling Yunfan, “You should lean against the headboard. Aren’t you feeling dizzy or have a headache?”

Thank you for the suggestion. Originally, I didn’t feel dizzy, but now facing your excessive boyfriend power that has nowhere to put on is making me feel dizzy.

“The spot where I hit is a bit sore, but I don’t feel dizzy,” Ling Yunfan answered honestly.

Ji Canghai said, “Let me take a look at your injury.”

He approached Ling Yunfan, held his head gently, and carefully removed the gauze. After looking for a moment, he said, “It’s swollen badly. Let me apply some iodine for you.”

“Okay,” Ling Yunfan agreed.

Ji Canghai took out a cotton swab from the medicine kit and dipped it in the brownish iodine. “It might hurt a bit,” he warned.

“It’s okay,” Ling Yunfan replied.

Although Ling Yunfan said those two words lightly and calmly, but when the cotton swab soaked with iodine touched the injury on his head, the sharp and unbearable pain made him unconsciously pull the hem of Ji Canghai’s shirt at the waist.

Ling Yunfan immediately realized that what he was doing was inappropriate, and quickly let go, his hand hanging awkwardly in the air.

Ji Canghai noticed his small movement and laughed, “you can pull it.”

Ling Yunfan replied, “Don’t joke like that, I might tear your clothes.” Who knows how expensive your clothes are?

Ji Canghai helped Ling Yunfan apply iodine to the wound on his head and said, “It’s just a piece of clothing. If you want, you can even bite me.”

Ling Yunfan didn’t know how to respond and just laughed awkwardly.

How come I never realized you had a masochistic tendency?!

After finishing applying iodine to Ling Yunfan’s head, Ji Canghai started checking the bruises on his arms and legs. Although they were just sprains and abrasions, there were many of them, and soon Ling Yunfan was covered in the smell of iodine and Yunnan Baiyao. [1]

Ling Yunfan felt depressed and asked, “Did the doctor tell you when I can stop using these medicines?”

Ji Canghai replied, “Change the medicine twice a day. After half a month, all the wounds should have scabbed over.”

Ling Yunfan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Half a month? I’ll be pickled by then!”

Ji Canghai was amused by his comment, and his clear eyes curved into a smile.

Ling Yunfan looked at him and felt that he smiled more than before.

Suddenly, a pleasant doorbell rang in the living room. Ji Canghai tightly closed the lid of the iodine bottle and put it back in the medicine cabinet, saying, “It’s the delivery. Wait here for a moment.”

After he finished speaking, he got up and walked out of the room. Shortly after, there was the sound of him opening and closing the door in the living room, along with the faint clattering of dishes and utensils

After about ten minutes, Ji Canghai reappeared in the room, smiling at Ling Yunfan and saying, “Come out and eat. Do you need me to help you?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Ling Yunfan stood up by himself and walked to the dining table.

On the table were steaming hot matsutake mushroom chicken soup noodles, sliced tomahawk steak, fragrant sweet & sour lobster balls, and delicious sweet white jade sea cucumber soup. In comparison, the plate of blanched bok choy seemed very homely.

Ling Yunfan was amazed, “This…so much? These dishes must be expensive, right…”

Ji Canghai considerately pulled out a chair for Ling Yunfan and smiled, “I thought you might be hungry, so I ordered a bit more. Eat until you’re full.”

Ling Yunfan was indeed hungry.

He was even a little silly with hunger.

He began to wonder if he had really lost his memory and if Ji Canghai was really his boyfriend.

He sat in a daze on the chair, picked up his chopsticks, and absent-mindedly took a bite of the noodles in his bowl.

“Is it delicious?” Ji Canghai asked with concern.

“Mm…mm…mm.” Ling Yunfan choked up.

Ji Canghai nervously stood up, “What’s wrong?”

Ling Yunfan cried, “Nothing, these noodles are just too delicious.”

Ji Canghai helplessly sat back down in his chair, “Is it really that exaggerated?”

Ling Yunfan spoke earnestly, “It is! Gong Gong angered the God of Heaven because he didn’t get to eat this bowl of noodles! Even Jehovah launched Noah’s Flood because he didn’t get to eat this bowl of noodles!” [2]

Ji Canghai chuckled lightly.

Ling Yunfan said, “Don’t ask me anymore, just hurry up and eat.”

“Okay.” Ji Canghai picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, but his eyes were fixed on Ling Yunfan. He saw Ling Yunfan eating happily with his head down, and the delicious chicken in his mouth seemed to turn into butterfly wings, fluttering and flying straight into his stomach.

Just then, Ji Canghai’s phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw the words “Rong Zhan” indicated on the caller id.

Ji Canghai’s face changed slightly, and his smile faded. He tightened his grip on the phone and stood up, saying to Ling Yunfan, “I need to take this call.”

Ling Yunfan had a mouthful of steak and could only make a vague “Mm” sound. He nodded repeatedly, afraid that Ji Canghai wouldn’t understand his meaning.

Seeing this, Ji Canghai couldn’t help but smile. He took the phone and went into the room to answer the call.

A moment later, Ji Canghai returned to the dining room and said to Ling Yunfan, “I need to go to the company.”

Ling Yunfan quickly swallowed the noodles in his mouth and asked, “Huh? Now?”

“Yes,” Ji Canghai nodded. “Take your time eating. Put the dishes on the table and I’ll clean up when I come back.”

Ling Yunfan said, “But you haven’t even eaten a few bites. At least finish your meal before going. Is the work really that urgent?”

“It’s very urgent,” Ji Canghai replied as he walked to the door of the dining room. “I’m leaving now.”

Ling Yunfan called out to his back, “Take it easy on the road.”

At these words, Ji Canghai turned around and looked at Ling Yunfan. There were butterflies swirling in his deep black eyes, and he smiled lightly. “Mm.”

After Ji Canghai left, Ling Yunfan suddenly felt that the food was not as delicious as before. He ate the remaining noodles slowly, cleaned up the dishes, and covered the leftover food with a plate to put it in the refrigerator.

As Ling Yunfan opened the refrigerator, he was stunned.

The refrigerator was empty, there was nothing inside.

Ling Yunfan scratched his head and didn’t think too much about it. He put the leftover food in and planned to reheat it and eat it later in the evening.

After finishing everything, Ling Yunfan began to think about what he should do next.

Wait a minute.

Ling Yunfan suddenly shivered.

Isn’t now the best time to leave?!

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Footnote(s)

The second myth is from the Judeo-Christian tradition and involves the story of Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood. According to the Bible, God decided to flood the Earth because of the wickedness of humankind, but spared Noah and his family by having them build an ark and take two of every animal on board. Ling Yunfan is again humorously suggesting that the flood could have been avoided if God had just been able to try the delicious dish he is eating.