KC | Chapter 78

The white, small, clingy rabbit, if bullied hard enough, would cry. After crying, it would still stretch out its paws for a hug.

Chen Xi’s cuteness would definitely make the whole world fall for him.

Lin Yiran wanted to drain his cuteness dry, turn him into a withered, shedding rabbit, and make sure no one paid attention to him.

But the work they did was precisely to win attention. He could not stop Chen Xi from becoming outstanding, and even more, he could not keep other people’s eyes in check. The world was full of temptations that dazzled the eye, and if he could not keep watch over the person, it was better to lock him up at home.

The crazy thought vanished in an instant. Lin Yiran lightly kissed Chen Xi’s forehead, his tone very doting: “Chen Xi, get up and eat.”

Chen Xi opened his eyes in a daze. He had been messed with so hard these past two days that he did not even have the strength to roll his eyes, let alone get out of bed.

Warm breath lingered by his ear. Chen Xi felt Lin Yiran coming close, and frowned. “Brother Lin, I have to work tomorrow, we really can’t do it again tonight.”

“Mm, we won’t.” Lin Yiran agreed readily with his mouth, but his hand reached toward Chen Xi.

Chen Xi immediately flared up. “Which time haven’t you said it was the ‘last time’? Then the second I let my guard down, you go all out on me, harder than James to defend against. You think I’d believe you?”

Lin Yiran said with amusement, “I don’t watch basketball, so I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“Ah, a gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands. Don’t touch me.”

Lin Yiran turned him over like he was grabbing a rabbit. Chen Xi could not outmuscle him, so for the sake of being able to work normally tomorrow, he knelt on the bed and sang of submission, picking the nice words and licking at them with all his strength, almost to the point of calling him dad.

“Can you have a little consideration for the mule in the production team, really not a single drop is left.”

Seeing his pitiful little look, Lin Yiran wanted even more to lock him at home.

Locking him at home was still not enough. It would be best if he could turn this room into a lonely little island, with only Chen Xi on the island.

The sinful thought took root and sprouted, but the refined scumbag did not show the slightest trace of emotion. A faint smile hung at the corner of his lips. “I’m just massaging you, why are you so tense?”

Lin Yiran had just finished cooking and washing his hands. His hands were a little cold, so he rubbed them warm, then slipped them into Chen Xi’s pajama top and slowly kneaded his waist.

“Aiya, it hurts, go slower.” Chen Xi did not notice his dark thoughts at all. Grimacing and baring his teeth, he kept whining with all his might. “Don’t look at how fine I seem on the surface, I actually have internal injuries, injured all the way to my organs.”

Lin Yiran’s hands eased up a little. “At your physical condition in your twenties, you couldn’t even handle the Long March.”

When Chen Xi was in college, he heard that night runs could help catch pretty girls, so he ran at night with Wang Xin for a month. Wang Xin caught a wife and stopped running, and Chen Xi got so mad he stopped running too. He could not figure out why the two of them ran together, but the other person had set his sights on Wang Xin instead of him! Right before graduation, Wang Xin’s wife finally came clean: “Our dorm set people up at the stadium. A lot of girls said you were good-looking, but they also felt that finding someone too good-looking gave no sense of security, so…” Chen Xi was so angry he dug his toes into the ground, then buzzed his hair into a little crew cut, and then… he did not even have any girls flirting with him anymore.

The law of attraction was not without reason. Chen Xi without motivation was just a pig, staying in the dorm every day playing games. Back then, he often imagined that after he had a job, he would run every day, become a male heartthrob and charm a whole crowd of young girls. But the reality was, after starting work the pressure was too much, he had no time to work out, and he could not even eat properly. He lost over 20 jin, and just from looking at him he seemed frail and weak. He did not become a male heartthrob, but he barely managed to become a “manga-strip heartthrob”.

After carefully thinking it over, Chen Xi’s rabbit eyes rolled around, and he took the initiative to suggest, “Brother Lin, how do you train? Can you take me with you?” Make me become the same as you, then I’ll pin you down.

“Sure, but my training method probably isn’t suitable for you.”

“Ah, what’s with suitable or not? Am I really not as good as you at this age?” You clearly just don’t want to teach me, because you’re afraid I’ll train well and pin you down.

“I tell you to walk two steps to eat and you’re already whining. If I let you lift weights, you’d probably lose a layer of skin.”

“How can that be the same, lifting weights is for… for getting strong and healthy.” I definitely have to mess with you, mess with you a few times day and night, then you’ll have empathy.

Chen Xi’s head was full of “pin you down,” but in reality he was afraid of getting messed with, and did not dare bring up that topic at all. He only dared to secretly pry at Lin Yiran’s fingers, prying them until they bent out of shape.

Lin Yiran looked very easy to bully, and let him play however he wanted with generous ease.

He was used to being in control, but was willing to respect Chen Xi, leaving him enough space so that he would be willing from the heart.

Chen Xi felt that if this waist got rubbed any more, something would happen. On top of that, in case of argument-countering measures, he took the initiative and spoke, trying his best to make his wording airtight: “Brother Lin, I’m hungry. I want to eat, not to eat you. Don’t overthink it. Let’s eat, okay?”

Although he really liked the Lin Yiran from when he negotiated with clients, having a boyfriend who was a negotiation expert was not a good thing in daily life… His logical thinking was too strong, his mind turned fast, his mouth even faster, and he was too good at arguing. He could not argue at all.

“Okay.” Lin Yiran very considerately got him a white-and-blue striped pajama set.

The pajamas had been bought this morning, together with groceries, when he had gone to the supermarket while Chen Xi was asleep. They were the same style as the black-and-white stripes on his own body. Besides buying pajamas, he had also bought a little rabbit keychain, along with elevator and access card attachments.

Chen Xi had almost not worn any clothes these past two days, so suddenly wearing them felt a little unaccustomed. Lin Yiran helped him button them up and put on his pants like he was dressing a doll. Once he finished tidying him up, no matter how he looked at him, Chen Xi looked good.

Lin Yiran asked, “Can you walk?”

Although his waist was sore, it was far from the point of injuring his muscles or bones. Chen Xi could walk, but he did not want to.

Chen Xi shook his head and stretched out his arms for a hug. Lin Yiran picked him up, and Chen Xi very obediently wrapped his arms around his neck, like an adorable sloth.

Lin Yiran walked to the dining table and set Chen Xi down on a chair. Under his butt was something soft and cushioned. Chen Xi looked closely, and it was a little rabbit cushion.

On the table were sweet and sour spare ribs, sweet and sour crispy pork, candied sweet potatoes, and tomato and egg stir-fry, all dishes he liked and that leaned sweet.

Lin Yiran rarely bothered counting calorie intake. He gnawed on two pieces of ribs, and the taste was okay, just not really with rice. He was used to salty flavors, so the food he made for Chen Xi was a bit on the sweet side, but luckily he had prepared in advance when buying ingredients. Lin Yiran fished out a packet of WUJIANG pickled mustard greens, poured about half a packet into a bowl, and asked, “Don’t you get sick of sweets? Want some?”

“Not sick of it, who eats vegetables when there’s meat.” Chen Xi held his bowl and chomped down on the sweet and sour crispy pork, his cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish.

Lin Yiran chewed his pickled mustard greens with a crunch, eating rice with the cute little pufferfish.

You made me a whole table of dishes, while you yourself ate 50-cent WUJIANG pickled mustard greens; you bought me cushions, pajamas, and daily necessities; you helped me negotiate deals, sign clients, and came up with strategies… Brother Lin was really so good to me.

Those partner criteria I had made up at random with Xiao Fang before, “has a car, has a house, earns a million a year,” Brother Lin had all of those, and he was handsome too.

Hee hee, my boyfriend is really so good. (*^▽^*).

It was just that… he went crazy in bed with no bottom line, and my waist suffered for it.

Still, these past two days I had not gotten injured like before, so it seemed that technique really could be improved.

Why had I struggled over this for so long? I should have slept with him earlier!

Chen Xi ate half a plate of sweet and sour crispy pork, let out a belch, and pushed his luck further. “Brother Lin, can you make fish? Mandarin fish in squirrel style, the sweet and sour deep-fried kind, I ate it with Brother Zhang before, and it was so fragrant.”

“You really are something, eating without paying, and now you’re even ordering dishes.”

Chen Xi blinked his watery big eyes, gnawing on ribs, his speech muffled. “Aren’t you not gonna make it?”

“I haven’t made it before, but I can learn. It shouldn’t be too hard. When do you want to eat it?” Lin Yiran’s gaze flickered slightly, and the sly look in his eyes vanished in an instant.

Because of his profession, a negotiation expert had always been very clear about his goals. What seemed like domestic chatter and endless nonsense was actually him digging pits and probing sentence by sentence.

What Lin Yiran really wanted to ask was: when would you come next time?

Although Chen Xi was not as sharp as him, he was not stupid either.

According to normal conversation logic, Brother Lin should have said, “I’ll make it for you next weekend,” but now he asked, “When do you want to eat it,” which meant he wanted me to come on weekdays too. Following this logic further, it would mean, “Do you want to live together with me.”

“I…” Chen Xi had just started, then swallowed the words back down, his gaze drifting toward the tabletop, as if he did not dare meet Lin Yiran’s eyes.

I want to come, and I want to live together with you, but my nerves are too fragile. I’m afraid that if we live together every day, you’ll find out.

Also, I care a lot about how others look at us. I don’t want to go in and out of the company with you, and let more people notice something’s off.

I’m afraid you’ll think I’m being pretentious, but if I use “I’m too busy with work” to brush you off, then it’ll seem like I’m not putting my heart into you.

“I’m full.” Chen Xi changed direction at the last second, patted his stomach, and did not take up the topic, pretending to understand while actually being deliberately obtuse.

“Oh, then go wash the dishes.” Lin Yiran’s expression was faint.

Chen Xi drooped his head and complained with all his might, “My waist really hurts when I stand. I even made the meal, so just wash the dishes yourself.”

“I don’t wash dishes.” Lin Yiran had a stubborn persistence about certain things.

I can help you take off your pants, but I can’t give you slippers, don’t kiss me if you’ve eaten scallions, although I slept with you I’m straight, although I like looking in the mirror and care about my outward image you’re not allowed to say I’m greasy, if you go against me I’ll go against you, I only cook and don’t wash dishes, … Thinking carefully, all of his persistence was childish and laughable.

Chen Xi sighed and did not lower himself to the level of the childish old man. He stood up to clear away the bowls and chopsticks, and asked, “What about the leftovers?”

Lin Yiran folded his arms and watched him, deliberately not answering.

Chen Xi thought it over and caught on, this scheming old man had a clear purpose, and there was no way around this topic.

The master of time management took a keychain with a pink little rabbit hanging from it out of his pants pocket, and said in as gentle a tone as possible, “The red keychain is for the community gate, the blue one is for the elevator card attachment. You can come anytime.”

The tiny keychain seemed to weigh a thousand tons. Chen Xi stretched out his hand, then pulled it back. He did not dare take it.

Lin Yiran thought that when he gave the keychain to Chen Xi, Chen Xi would happily cling to him and ask for a few more rounds, but things went against his expectations.

With his easily combustible and explosive pride taking a hit, he subconsciously wanted to retort, but then he saw Chen Xi’s eyelashes trembling nonstop, his teeth pressed against his rosy lips, as if he wanted to speak but was forcibly holding it back.

Perhaps after their bodies had become connected, both sides’ thoughts could reach a certain level of common ground, or perhaps because he liked him very much, he could understand feelings he had not been able to understand before.

Lin Yiran read Chen Xi’s emotions at that moment, fear.

Before, Lin Yiran had thought it was “a warm face pressed against a cold butt,” but only now did he understand. Back then, Chen Xi had thought he was not divorced and did not want to ruin his family, so he deliberately hid his feelings, ignored him, and did not speak to him much. According to that logic, Chen Xi not agreeing to live together with him now must have been because he was considering other issues.

What was Chen Xi afraid of?

Afraid that I would force him to accept living together?

No, he liked me, so he must have wanted to live together with me.

Then what was he afraid of?

Last time he did not go into Lanhai with me because he was afraid of other people’s eyes, afraid that others would discover our relationship.

But this problem could not be solved. Everyone at KA was clever, there was no wall that did not leak, and Chen Xi should be able to understand this reasoning. So, he must still have other worries.

What was he worried about?

A single-celled creature had limited brain capacity. If he kept silent, he was just thinking of bizarre things until his brain got burned into a crash.

He did not say anything plainly, and insisted on making me guess. If I guessed wrong, he would scratch me. Such a little cutie was harder to handle than a key client, annoying yet vanilla-sweet.

Fine, who made me like you?

At this moment, rashly pressing forward was definitely not a good plan. Lin Yiran temporarily used a delaying strategy and said patiently, “My fridge has been empty all this time before, and the power had been cut for more than a year. Only last week, when you came, did I plug it back in. I usually live pretty rough, if you don’t mind, you can help me tidy things up. In return, I can help you negotiate with clients, and I can also make squirrel-style fish for you.”

Chen Xi kept silent the whole time. Lin Yiran toyed with the cute little rabbit keychain in his hand, not forcing him, and not pressing him for answers, constantly suppressing his wildly clamoring desire for control, giving all his tenderness to Chen Xi.

“If you want to come, there’s a subway station by the company entrance, three stops straight there. If you don’t want to come, then just lie around at home, and you can sleep an extra half hour before work.”

Chen Xi had once wanted to make a promise, but now he was afraid again. He was afraid that if Lin Yiran found out about his mental problems, he would no longer like him.

“Brother Lin, I’ve already taken up your weekend time. How could I have the nerve to keep squeezing your weekday time.” Chen Xi picked a suitable opening and spoke from the heart. “Let’s both work properly on weekdays, and then I’ll come on weekends, okay?”

Lin Yiran did not answer, but asked in return, “Then you don’t miss me usually?”

Whatever the teacher taught, the student learned. Chen Xi’s eyes flickered, and he also used a delaying strategy. “Brother Lin, when my rent is due at the end of the month, I’ll move over.”