31 – He Is Truly Shameless

Chapter 31: He Really Is Shameless

The milk at home was rejected due to poor ingredients.

And the food Xie Qingcheng had ordered for delivery consisted of only two things: meat dumplings and vegetable dumplings.

He Yu didn’t like meat dumplings because they were too greasy. Yet, he suspected the vegetable dumplings because the ingredients inside had probably been washed haphazardly. His attitude was as fastidious as a concubine of a wealthy old man from the 1940s. Eventually, with a cold expression, Brother Xie rummaged through the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of wontons.

Then, he spoke to the fastidious Mr. Concubine.

“A neighbor next door made these by hand. This is the last bag. This is the only natural, pollution-free food available; do you want it or not?”

Glancing at Brother Xie’s expression, Mr. Concubine discerned that the old man’s patience had reached its limit.

After all, wasn’t the purpose of coming here a change of pace? There was no benefit in intentionally rubbing Xie Qingcheng the wrong way.

Judging it so, He Yu gave a bright smile. A hint of shyness even emanated from that pretty, innocent face. —Of course, it was all an act.

“Then I’ll have some, please.”

Shortly after, a fantasy unfolded that would be unimaginable in the world of volunteering.

Dr. Xie, a lonely elderly man who deserved a visit of consolation, watched the water boil in a pot on the induction stove with a gloomy face, biting his lip and holding a wooden ladle.

The college student volunteer, Student He Yu, who had come to visit, stood as far away as possible, sensing the atmosphere. They say a gentleman stays away from the kitchen. He simply looked around the house in such a natural and docile manner.

He Yu had visited this place a few times during middle school, following Xie Xue. It was back when Li Ruoqiu was still there, and a wedding photo of Xie Qingcheng and her sat in the room.

That photo was gone now.

However, not only Li Ruoqiu’s photo, but other walls also bore the worn traces of photos that had been hung and then removed. The boundaries were so faint that one wouldn’t notice unless they looked closely. It might have been a trace that existed since he first visited, but at the time, he was so focused on Xie Xue that nothing else caught his eye.

“Do you need vinegar?”

Xie Qingcheng asked abruptly.

“Yes,” He Yu replied. “I’ll add it myself.”

The room was very quiet. Beyond the walls, the subtle presence of neighbors living in the shanty town of the Mowu River alley could be heard. If the world were a body, people would be the cells; even within the same body, they move in a jagged, discordant fashion. Just as every cell has a different metabolic cycle, people live according to their own rhythms. While someone in the house next door clattered with dishwashing, the sound of a gas stove lighting echoed in this house.

He Yu leaned against the window. He saw a chameleon crawling along the windowsill.

When he reached out his hand, the chameleon accepted unauthorized copythe touch stroking unauthorized copyits head docilely, without any sign of fear.

He Yu was this kind of person. Cold-blooded animals never avoided him and always approached. Perhaps they regarded him as one of their own.

On the other hand, Xie Xue loved fluffy, small animals the most and feared insects like scorpions or spiders the most.

If Xie Xue had seen this chameleon, she surely would have screamed and chased it away.

As He Yu scratched the chameleon’s head, the creature narrowed its eyes, enjoying the touch.

He Yu thought about how he and Xie Xue were different in ways that were simply too extreme. That’s probably why she came to like Wei Dongheng instead of me.

The house where the young Xie Xue and the teenage Xie Xue grew up through the years. The space that once comforted He Yu, the breath of Xie Xue’s own life, had now become a dense thicket of thorns.

The roots dug deep into the soil, and the branches shot up, piercing the sky.

When a thicket of thorns sprouted in a human heart, the heavens and earth groaned along with it.

Feeling uneasy, He Yu quietly bid farewell to the chameleon and moved away from the window of Xie Xue’s room.

When Xie Qingcheng turned around after plating the wontons, the college student volunteer, He Yu, was already lying diagonally on the edge of the bed, covering his face with a pillow.

“…What are you doing. Did you even shower before lying down?”

Despite Xie Qingcheng’s words, He Yu remained silent, hiding himself like a chameleon behind the pillow.

Xie Qingcheng spoke again.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

“…”

“If you keep not responding, I’ll assume you’ve suffocated and call the morgue to have you moved there.”

After a few seconds of silence, perhaps wanting to avoid the misfortune of entering a morgue, He Yu finally slid the pillow away and revealed half of his face. His round, pretty eyes looked at Xie Qingcheng with a look of disgust.

“Doctor, your bed smells really strongly of cigarettes.”

Xie Qingcheng retorted as he set the bowl down.

“If you hate the smell of cigarettes, stop lingering, get up, eat, and go home early. Let me get some rest.”

“I don’t think it was this bad the last time I came.”

“How long ago was that?”

True.

He Yu muttered to himself.

Back when Li Ruoqiu was here, Xie Qingcheng didn’t smoke.

It was probably because his sister-in-law hated it. Xie Qingcheng was a cold man, but at the same time, he was a responsible head of the household; if his wife disliked something, he would step back and concede in some way.

He Yu lay on Xie Qingcheng’s bed, staring at that indifferent profile. Doing so suddenly reminded him of the first time he came to this house. Li Ruoqiu had smiled brightly and gone to prepare snacks and tea, and while he sat and waited, he inadvertently saw the bed half-hidden by the curtains. The feeling at that time was quite strange. It was because he simply couldn’t imagine Xie Qingcheng sleeping with a woman.

Would that solemn and cold face also be stained by lust?

At that moment, Xie Qingcheng frowned.

“What are you thinking about so hard?”

To that question, He Yu answered elegantly.

“About life.”

“…”

“Brother Qingcheng, have you not gone on any blind dates since that day?”

“I have no intention of remarrying.”

“I know you’re still in your thirties, but…”

He Yu continued slowly.

“Aren’t you lonely?”

Xie Qingcheng gave him a nonchalant side-eye.

“The scope of your medical examination is quite broad, Doctor Pacific.”

He Yu let out a small laugh.

He must have been born this cold.

“Aren’t you eating the wontons? If you don’t, I’m throwing them away.”

Hungry, He Yu finally stood up obediently and sat at the small table.

The chair Xie Qingcheng brought him was one Xie Xue had used as a child, so it was small and low. With He Yu, who was 189 cm tall, sitting in that chair, it couldn’t have looked more awkward. Xie Qingcheng gave him a bottle of vinegar and even a child’s spoon, finally adding coldly:

“Want a bib?”

Instead of talking back, He Yu looked to the side and smiled brightly. He looked docile, but there was a provocative glint in his eyes.

“Then the doctor will feed me himself, right?”

“…”

“Please do it.”

As he said this, he held out the silver spoon to Xie Qingcheng.

Xie Qingcheng’s face froze coldly.

“Eat it yourself.”

However, the wontons were a bit too hot to eat immediately. To let the heat cool down, He Yu took out his phone and began tapping away.

At that sight, Xie Qingcheng’s “old man” spirit shone through.

“During mealtime, you should only eat. What game are you playing?”

Without even lifting his head, He Yu moved his fingers rapidly.

“It’s not a game.”

Xie Qingcheng looked down at He Yu’s phone screen. It certainly looked more like a dizzying mass of code than a game.

“What is this?”

“I’m issuing hacking commands to warm up my hands.”

“I thought you did that on a computer?”

“I configured it myself. It’s a computer program, but it works exactly the same on a phone.”

He Yu answered indifferently.

Although Xie Qingcheng had no interest in hacking and knew little about it, he could roughly guess He Yu’s level. He must be a great expert. Of course, He Yu only attacked other people’s firewalls as if playing a game that required concentration; he had never committed any actual crimes.

“And… done.”

As He Yu pressed the final confirmation button, specific data appeared over the firewall interface of a famous website. He raised his hand to check the time.

“The speed is decent. Maybe I was in a hurry because I wanted to eat the wontons.”

Smiling like that, He Yu closed the hacking page. He only wanted to play with the opponent’s firewall; he had not a shred of interest in the data contained within. He was like an eccentric thief who only picked the most difficult safes to open and then left the contents untouched.

Xie Qingcheng was speechless.

“…”

By the time He Yu put down his phone, the wontons had cooled to a perfect temperature. He lowered his head and began to eat the wontons slowly.

Handmade wontons were a precious food, difficult to find outside. After eating all the wontons floating in the soup, He Yu looked back at Xie Qingcheng with a lingering expression.

“What are you staring at? It’s not like there’s code on my face.”

“I want another bowl.”

“It’s not like this is a ‘buy one get one’ deal; why are you pestering me for another bowl? A neighbor next door made these and gave them to me. The one you just ate was the last bag, so there are no more.”

“Then do you know how to make them, Doctor?”

“…”

Xie Qingcheng put a cigarette in his mouth and replied vaguely.

“Even if I knew how, I wouldn’t give any to you.”

Then he flicked a lighter and tilted his head to light the cigarette.

He Yu’s frown deepened further.

“Xie Qingcheng, since when did you become a nicotine addict? Stop smoking. The house is already small; I can’t breathe because of the cigarette smoke.”

“Is this your house or mine?”

Xie Qingcheng took a puff of the cigarette and exhaled the smoke toward He Yu. Then, he looked at him through the pale blue haze.

“You ate wontons I boiled, sat in my chair, lay on my bed, and covered your face with my pillow—and on top of that, you have so many demands for this and that. If you can’t breathe, go home. Your family’s villa probably has plenty of greenery, so the air must be clear. The door is that way.”

“…”

He Yu was speechless.

Xie Qingcheng flicked the cigarette ash and added one more thing.

“Aren’t you leaving?”

“…”

“If you’re not leaving, do the dishes. Does it make sense that you act all refined in front of others but don’t lift a finger in my house?”

“…”

He could just do the damn dishes.

He was, after all, a young master who had lived alone abroad. He knew how to wash dishes.

While the sound of cool water poured, Xie Qingcheng leaned against the window and smoked his cigarette to the end.

Until a moment ago, he had been on the verge of death from exhaustion, but after being pestered by He Yu, his drowsiness had completely vanished. Smoking in this state made his mind feel sharp, as if he had been awakened. Xie Qingcheng watched He Yu standing at the sink doing the dishes. His forehead was exposed, with his bangs neatly swept back. Because he was bowing his head to wash the dishes, a few stray hairs fell over it. His young, smooth skin seemed to emit a soft glow even under the dim light.

A fresh and innocent atmosphere. The scent of a rotten beast can only be smelled when one gets very close.

And he was even smart.

As he scanned him, Xie Qingcheng fell into thought.

If he didn’t have a mental illness, he was a young man who would have won every battle. If he set his mind to it, he could have dated any woman he liked. What woman in the world would reject such a young man?

“You should change the faucet. The water pressure is too weak.”

Having finished the dishes, Young Master He turned off the faucet, lowered the sleeves he had rolled up, and dried his wet hands.

“I don’t live here often, so it’s not particularly necessary.”

The young master did not consider Xie Qingcheng’s opinion.

“I’ll ask Uncle Zhao to change it next time. And the fluorescent lights in the house…”

“What’s wrong with the fluorescent lights?” Xie Qingcheng said heartlessly.

“They’re too dim. It’s like a haunted house. If it gets any darker, I won’t even be able to tell who’s standing here.”

At He Yu’s complaining tone, Xie Qingcheng’s mood soured. What kind of logic is it to pick a fight immediately after being fed?

As that thought occurred, a sneer broke out.

“I don’t think this is your house. Besides, you’re the one who couldn’t tell front from back and mistook a person, He Yu.”

“…”

At these words, He Yu was slightly at a loss for words.

The fact that he had mistaken Xie Qingcheng for a woman at the hotel in Hangshi, pushed him against a table, and showered him with kisses all the way to the bed was a fact that even He Yu found hard to accept.

He Yu’s voice quickly grew small.

“You said you wouldn’t mention that again…”

Stunned, Xie Qingcheng rolled his eyes.

“Do you think I wanted to mention it? I did it to shut your mouth.”

While an awkward atmosphere flowed, the sound of knocking echoed.

To shake off this awkwardness, Mr. Concubine quickly cleared his throat and spoke. For some reason, a hint of servility emanated from him for a moment.

“I’ll go.”

“Hello. I’m the delivery driver. Is this Dr. Xie’s residence?”

He Yu opened the door immediately.

Standing there was a young man wiping away sweat.

“Um, are you Dr. Xie? I’ve confirmed that a pickup delivery service was requested for today.”

He Yu looked back and spoke in a very polite tone.

“Dr. Xie, they say it’s for the pickup delivery service.”

“…”

As if suddenly remembering, Xie Qingcheng brought over a cardboard box from the luggage he had brought.

“Yes, I reserved a pickup delivery. The contents are household goods, and the destination is Sushi. You’ll see it if you check the reservation details.”

“Yes, I understand!”

Just as the delivery driver was about to pack Read on Read BL Novelsthe box after checking the item, He Yu, who was stolen contentstanding [stolen content]beside him with arms crossed, suddenly sensed something strange.

“Wait a moment.”

Stopping the delivery driver’s hand as he tried to repack the box, he took the box and pulled out the clothes inside.

Soon, a deathly silence fell.

He Yu, who had been acting servile until a moment ago, slowly turned his head while holding the clothes. The atmosphere was very ominous.

“Xie Qingcheng.”

Xie Qingcheng’s expression didn’t change one bit.

“What.”

“…Did you sell the t-shirt I lent you as second-hand?”

“You said it was a shirt to throw away. When I posted it on a second-hand site, it sold for five thousand yuan. I would have only used it as a rag anyway.”

Xie Qingcheng admitted it calmly and asked back.

“Is there a problem?”

“What do you mean ‘is there a problem’? Do you not know that I have mysophobia? I’d rather throw it away than give something I’ve used to a stranger.”

Xie Qingcheng’s voice in response was indifferent.

“That’s also a type of mental illness. This is perfect. Try to overcome it.”

Xie Qingcheng snatched the box back from He Yu and thrust it into the hands of the delivery driver, who was now sitting on pins and needles.

“Send it now. I said the receiver would pay for shipping.”

“Xie Qingcheng!”

The delivery driver hesitated, looking back and forth between the two.

“Um… should I send this or not?”

“Don’t send it.”

“Send it.”

Mr. Concubine and the Old Man Xie answered simultaneously.

The delivery driver had to wipe away sweat.

“…Then, could you two please discuss it again first?”

“No need.”

In the midst of this, Xie Qingcheng’s dictatorial spirit reared its head.

“If I say send it, send it.”

After saying that, he glared at the delivery driver.

“Now. It’s the case I reserved.”

There were few people in the world who could withstand Xie Qingcheng’s gaze. Nodding, the delivery driver quickly issued the receipt and fled.

Leaving behind He Yu, whose face had darkened because his personal item was sold, and Xie Qingcheng, who was in a good mood after earning five thousand yuan.

“You feel bad, right? Let’s go, I’ll buy you a late-night snack.”

Having stood in place for a moment, He Yu’s patience ran out. He snatched up the bag he had thrown on [unauthorized copy]the bed, pushed Xie Qingcheng with his shoulder, and visit our sitepushed open the door and left without looking back.

“Eat it alone!”

He shouted through gritted teeth.

“Don’t squander the five thousand yuan you made by selling my clothes all at once; use it sparingly! If you find yourself lacking while eating, give me a call. I’ll personally come and feed you!”

Leaving behind a few words filled with indignation, the young man left Xie Qingcheng’s house with his bag on his shoulder.

The driver had been waiting outside the alley for some time. Stretching his long legs and leaning down to get into the car, He Yu told the driver with a gloomy face to close the window. The warm scenery outside the window, which felt human, didn’t even enter his sight.

“Young Master, are you feeling unwell? Shall I take you to the hospital?”

“Forget it.”

He Yu spoke sternly, burying himself in the seat.

“I don’t even want to see the sight of people wearing gowns today.”

At that moment, his phone vibrated. It was a message from one of those people who wear gowns.

[Next Monday. Come to the office to work.]

Young Master He frowned deeply and turned off the power to his phone entirely.