Chapter 67: Chengnan Bookstore 14
This time, Ren Bing also brought some members of the research group to join the operation at the university rule zone. During a break one day, Qing Gang, with his left arm around Zhong Mu and his right around Yi Ke, lowered his voice to deliver an important work-related speech: “I think that Captain Ren definitely has treacherous designs on our Captain Zhuang.”
“It’s not just him. The action team from the capital also wants Captain Zhuang to go over, especially after the Zeus Grand Hotel incident,” Zhong Mu said. “But Captain Zhuang refused, saying that a short-term exchange was fine, but a long-term transfer was not something he was interested in.”
A sense of crisis arose in Qing Gang. “When did this happen?”
“Just a couple of days ago. The enemy BOSS personally called our BOSS. The offer was said to be quite good—high salary, housing, a rank adjustment, and even a job for his family. But our Captain Zhuang is indifferent to fame and fortune. He wasn’t moved at all after hearing it.” Zhong Mu turned his head. “Xiao Yi, what are your thoughts on this?”
Yi Ke magnanimously expressed, “I’m fine with whatever.”
The other two didn’t understand. What do you mean you’re fine with whatever?
But Xiao Yi was indeed fine with whatever. He was very accepting when it came to being a kept man, and his principle was simple: wherever his wife goes, he goes. He was the family member who needed a job arranged for him! He finished the apple in his hand in a few bites and stood up decisively. “Let’s go, time to work!” leaving Qing Gang to sigh in his wake. It’s good to be young; look at Xiao Yi, with his seemingly endless energy.
Ren Bing did indeed want to take Zhuang Ningyu away. As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. So before coming to Jincheng, he had specifically studied Zhuang Ningyu’s personality, preparing to be targeted in his approach to create a feeling of hitting it off right away. But reality was harsh. So far, forget hitting it off, he hadn’t even managed to exchange ten sentences with him. His team members all comforted him, “That’s how it is with the flower on the high peak. As long as your friend request hasn’t been blocked, there’s still a chance, boss!”
Ren Bing said calmly, “I haven’t even managed to add him as a friend yet.”
The team members: “…” The shame! How can you have the audacity to talk about such progress?
Outside the rule zone. Zhuang Ningyu sat on the windowsill with a bowl of cherries, put down his book, and called Huo Ting. “Are you free? I have a question I’d like to discuss with you in depth.”
“Go ahead,” Huo Ting said, putting on his headset while driving.
Zhuang Ningyu spat out a cherry pit. “It’s about the reflexive dissolution of a priori imagination in the process of constructing symbolic topology. When the phenomenological temporal horizon encounters self-directed symbolic différance, does the quantum superposition of being necessarily lead to a non-Cartesian collapse of subjectivity? If you think that question is too difficult, there’s a relatively simpler one: why don’t I even have the most basic login permissions anymore?”
Huo Ting pulled the car over. “To nip it in the bud. It’s not like you don’t have a precedent for hacking into the school system with a low-permission account.”
Zhuang Ningyu couldn’t imagine how such a shameless person could exist in the world. “Wasn’t it you and He Mo who paid me two hundred yuan to hack it?”
Huo Ting repaid his kindness with gratitude. “Yes, so I’m planning to extend your vacation by another week.”
Don’t you dare! Zhuang Ningyu had been at home so long he felt like he was growing mushrooms. He wanted to work but had no permissions, so he could only dabble in reading, gardening, cooking, and laundry. He even went next door to help mediate two mother-in-law and daughter-in-law disputes. He was restless by nature, and this vacation was exceptionally long. The regular care from the Evolver Treatment Center, combined with the nutritious meals personally cooked by Zhong Yu and his grandmother, had nursed this patient back to a lively state. He had nowhere to vent his energy, so he practiced speed-descending by climbing the outer wall of his bedroom in the middle of the night, scaring a blue cat napping on the low wall and making its fur stand on end.
Other misdeeds, such as dismantling a bicycle and being unable to reassemble it, washing old sofa covers only to have them shrink drastically, and causing the neighbors’ circuits to trip while changing a lightbulb, were too numerous to count. So much so that when Yi Ke finished his mission, everyone in the neighborhood, including the cats, let out a deep sigh of relief.
It was noisy outside the rule zone, with several bright incandescent lamps hanging from the trees. Yi Ke bypassed the chaotic crowd of reporters, glanced at the time—it was already past midnight. He didn’t message Zhuang Ningyu and went directly with the team to the hospital for a routine check-up, then had the driver take him back to his apartment to freshen up before heading to Fuxing Court.
At six in the morning, the high-end apartment building lacked the lively hustle and bustle of Fuxing Court’s morning market. There was only the soothing piano music flowing quietly through the common areas. Yi Ke looked at his unkempt appearance in the mirror after several days, wearily rubbed his face, bent down to pick up the backpack tossed on the floor, and stepped out of the elevator with a “ding,” unlocking the security door with his fingerprint.
But the lights in the room were on.
Yi Ke frowned slightly. His first reaction was that some annoying mooching friend had come to crash on his bed again. He was about to shout when he looked down and saw a familiar pair of shoes in the entryway. He froze on the spot for two seconds. Before his brain could react, he had already run into the living room in a few steps. Zhuang Ningyu was just walking out of the kitchen, wearing slippers and soft, light-colored loungewear, holding a plate of seasoned beef.
“You’re back. Go take a shower first, then come and eat.”
Yi Ke agreed, reaching out in a daze to hug him. It took him a long while to remember to ask, “When did you get here?”
Zhuang Ningyu turned his face away from the short, prickly stubble. “The day before yesterday. Is that not okay?”
“Okay, okay, okay.” Yi Ke held on to him, refusing to let go, still not back from his daze. He even suspected he might be daydreaming, but the warmth in his arms was undeniably real. When he finally confirmed that all of this was real, a sense of happiness finally began to grow wildly in his heart. The sound of a pot lid rattling came from the kitchen, and hot steam wafted into the living room. He rubbed against his ear and asked affectionately, “What are you cooking? It smells so good.”
Zhuang Ningyu was silent for a moment, then answered truthfully, “Boiling water.”
The dumplings hadn’t been put in the pot yet, so it was indeed boiling water. But Yi Ke was blinded by love; even the boiling water his wife cooked was supremely delicious! Zhuang Ningyu pushed him three times before finally sending him off to the bathroom. But Yi Ke turned back halfway, cupped his face, and gave his lips two hard kisses. Only then did he take off running, shouting joyfully as he went, “I brushed my teeth at the check-up center!” So I can kiss my wife!
Zhuang Ningyu wiped his wet face and went back to the pot to continue cooking. The dumplings and cold side dishes were all brought from his parents’ house; he just needed to make a soup base. Yi Ke preferred dumplings in soup over dipped dumplings. His favorite flavor was corn and pork, and mushroom and pork was also acceptable. He didn’t like green onions in his soup, but a little bit in the dumpling filling was fine. Zhuang Ningyu had managed to remember every one of his minor preferences with almost no deliberate effort. He had also prepared seven or eight cold side dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables. It was the New Year, after all; things had to be a bit lavish.
After his shower, Yi Ke returned to the kitchen with a woody fragrance, hugging Zhuang Ningyu from behind. He lowered his head and smelled the same shower gel scent on the other’s neck as on his own. Then, thinking about how he had obediently stayed in this home for two days just so he could have a hot meal after his mission, he was so happy he didn’t know what to say. But he was crystal clear about what to do next: take out his phone—unlock it—open the smart lock app—settings—security—change new password. Then, he made a public announcement in his group of mooching friends: “Bro, I have a wife now. From this day on, anyone who wants to come to my house, remember to fill out a visitor application form three days in advance. Uninvited guests will not be received under any circumstances.”
“What are you doing?” Zhuang Ningyu asked.
“Nothing.” Yi Ke tossed his phone aside and helped him carry the sour soup dumplings out of the kitchen. He also took a bottle of red wine from the cabinet. Due to their work, neither of them usually drank much, but they could make an exception for the New Year. Zhuang Ningyu clinked glasses with him. “Happy New Year.”
Yi Ke: “Can I hold you while I eat?”
Zhuang Ningyu: “No!”
But sitting close together was acceptable. It was too early, and Zhuang Ningyu didn’t have much of an appetite. He had originally just planned to eat a few bites to keep him company, but he couldn’t resist Yi Ke’s persuasive coaxing. He was cajoled and tricked into eating six or seven dumplings in one go. Only then did Yi Ke contentedly slurp down the rest of the bowl. After the meal, Zhuang Ningyu stacked the empty plates and pushed his chair back to stand up. “I’ll clean the kitchen. You go to sleep. Captain Ye said you haven’t rested much these past few days.”
“No,” Yi Ke didn’t want to be separated from him for even a second. Zhuang Ningyu didn’t insist. Fortunately, wiping the table, sweeping the floor, cleaning the stove, and putting the dishes in the dishwasher didn’t take much time. Yi Ke also studied the new robot vacuum a friend had recently given him. Although an auntie came regularly for housekeeping, that was during his single days. Living with his wife was a different matter. Half an hour later, he had successfully tinkered with the robot until it started working with a “buzz.” Yi Ke felt a sense of accomplishment as a good family man. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and walked over to the sofa to pick up the man. He was about to go brush his teeth and sleep with his wife when his eyes fell on a pile of thin blankets and pillows on the side. He couldn’t help but pause, and asked hesitantly, “Have you been sleeping on the sofa these past two days?”
Zhuang Ningyu: “Yeah.”
He could stay here, but he still had some psychological pressure about actively sleeping in Yi Ke’s bed, so he had been making do in the living room. Yi Ke’s defenses were instantly broken. How could his precious wife sleep so poorly? But he couldn’t vent his anger on anything or anyone. He couldn’t possibly blame the bed for not proactively coming to the living room to welcome him. In the end, he could only personally carry the man into the master bedroom, kissing him again and again, coaxing him, “From now on, you’ll sleep here.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”
Yi Ke sprinted to the guest bathroom to get him his toothpaste and toothbrush.
After brushing his teeth, Zhuang Ningyu rummaged around in the living room for a while, finally returning to the master bedroom bed with a clean bag. Yi Ke came out of the bathroom. “What are you unwrapping?”
“New pajamas, for you.” Zhuang Ningyu had already washed and ironed them beforehand. He patted the spot next to him, gesturing for him to come and sit. “Kids have to wear new clothes for the New Year.”
Yi Ke was extremely cooperative. He took off his pajamas and threw himself onto the bed, shirtless. “Let your husband give you another kiss.”
Zhuang Ningyu held a pillow against his chest. “Put on your clothes!”
It was a long road ahead. He couldn’t even take off his clothes in bed, he had to put them on. But putting them on was also fine; it was a loving new set of pajamas that his wife had personally bought, washed, and ironed! Yi Ke put on the T-shirt, then knelt up and “swish,” took off his old lounge pants. Zhuang Ningyu hadn’t expected the man to be so decisive. By the time he realized what he had just seen, it was too late. Yi Ke put on the large shorts, then wrapped his arms around the man and burrowed into the covers. “What are you thinking about?”
What he was thinking about was not very convenient to say. Zhuang Ningyu found his ability to speak again amidst a sea of mosaics. “Turn off the lights, let’s sleep.”
Yi Ke reached out and turned off the bedside lamp. The sky outside was already bright, but thankfully the curtains were thick, so the light in the bedroom was still only a faint layer. Zhuang Ningyu closed his eyes, burying his slightly hot face in the soft covers.
Five minutes later, Yi Ke suddenly asked—
“Was it big?”
“Get lost!”
Yi Ke was ecstatic, rolling around on the bed with the man in his arms. My wife is so cute, smooch smooch smooch, I knew you were shy, come give your husband a kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss!
Zhuang Ningyu tilted his head back helplessly. Is there something wrong with this person!
Yi Ke made the 2.1-meter bed feel as crowded as a 1.2-meter one. Half an hour later, Zhuang Ningyu was pinned under the covers by his limbs, unable to move an inch. He could only stare blankly at the ceiling, listening to the steady breathing in his ear, and ponder whether his mental state would sooner or later have a problem if this scene were to play out every night.
The two of them slept until four in the afternoon. Zhuang Ningyu finally waited until the restraint was lifted and didn’t want to stay in bed for another second. He slipped out at lightning speed to wash up. Yi Ke watched him from the foot of the bed, yawning lazily. “Shall we go for Japanese food later?”
“Okay,” Zhuang Ningyu asked, “Is it another restaurant opened by your friend?”
“No, I don’t know the owner. I just asked a friend to cut the line for us,” Yi Ke sat up. “I heard the quality of the seafood is quite good. You should like it.”
There were two missed calls on his phone and a message in the family group chat.
Mom: Captain Ye said your mission is over. Baby, are you coming home for dinner tonight? Mommy misses you. [Heart][Heart][Heart]
Yi Ke replied righteously, “I’ll be back tomorrow. I have a date tonight.”
The four people on the other end of the line were all petrified. Yi Yue threw up her hands. “See!”
Yi Guodong asked his eldest son, “Did you find out anything?”
“I asked all of Xiao Ke’s friends,” Yi Shen replied in a deep voice. “But everyone, everyone, either hemmed and hawed and couldn’t explain clearly, or said he was dating Ningyu.”
Yi Guodong was greatly shocked. “Ningyu? How could that be?”
“It’s impossible!” Yi Yue gritted her teeth. “Who knows how Xiao Ke bribed them. They all lie without batting an eye.”
Deng Zongyun had already imagined the entire process of going to a Southeast Asian scam group with a hundred million in cash to ransom her son. For a moment, she even found it difficult to breathe. “No, we have to get him back first.”
Yi Shen sat over to help pat her back. “Okay, okay, Mom, don’t worry. Leave it to me. I guarantee I’ll bring him back tonight.”
But Yi Ke was unconcerned about the family storm he had stirred up. He was still shamelessly bothering his wife, and at the same time, slapped a bank card into his hand. “Handing over my salary. The password is your birthday.”
Zhuang Ningyu asked cautiously, “Does that mean I’ll be responsible for all your food and living expenses from now on?”
Of course not! Yi Ke helped him put on his coat and grandly declared, “The salary card is just for you to spend for fun. Household expenses are separate. Don’t worry, your husband has plenty of money.”
Zhuang Ningyu laughed and kicked him lightly. “Let’s go, time to eat.”
The Japanese restaurant was located in the city center, and the traffic was backed up in a long line. Zhuang Ningyu was initially regretting not just staying home to cook a quiet bowl of pea noodles, but the moment he tasted the first bite of sashimi, he forgave this crowded world. The restaurant that required connections to cut the line was popular for a reason. Salmon, bluefin tuna, king crab, sea urchin, eel, fried items, and chawanmushi—Zhuang Ningyu ate every last bite, and even ordered a small bowl of beef udon noodles for himself. Finally, he was sipping a sweet melon jelly while waiting for Yi Ke to pay.
“Excuse me, Mr. Yi, it seems this card of yours can’t be used at the moment,” the waiter said politely, holding the POS machine. “Is there a limit on it?”
Yi Ke coolly switched to another card.
The waiter tried again, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry, it’s still not working.”
Zhuang Ningyu waved his hand. “Here, let me.”
That won’t be necessary! Yi Ke paid with the loose change in his payment app, then coldly dropped a sentence in the family group chat, which had been renamed “110 Anti-Fraud Squad”—”I’ll be back in two hours.”
Zhuang Ningyu put his hand in his pocket, and they walked to the parking lot together, taking a stroll to aid digestion. “What was wrong with your card just now?”
“It’s nothing. I’ll call the bank tomorrow,” Yi Ke squeezed his fingers. “If you like this place, shall we come again next week?”
“Okay,” Zhuang Ningyu didn’t know much about the financial systems of the rich. Plus, he was full, so his brain wasn’t getting enough blood. He didn’t ask any further.
Yi Ke drove his wife safely all the way home, put on his slippers for him, turned on the TV, washed some fruit, and then stuffed the remote into his hand. “Watch some TV by yourself. I’m going back to my parents’ house first.”
Zhuang Ningyu didn’t suspect a thing and waved his hand, signaling that he could be dismissed.
Yi Ke grabbed his wrist for a kiss, then snatched the car keys and turned to leave. The green sports car sped off like the wind. An hour later, Yi Ke stood on the living room coffee table, one hand on his hip, looking down at the four people sitting on the sofa.
After a long pause, Yi Guodong’s voice trembled as he asked, “So you’re dating Ningyu?”
Yi Ke squeezed out an “mhm” from his nose.
Deng Zongyun still couldn’t believe it. “Really, son? You haven’t been tricked by some high-end Southeast Asian scam group, have you?”
“No, I was supposed to treat him to dinner tonight,” Yi Ke pointed at his brother and sister like an emperor. “But you, and you, you two, you actually froze my card!”
“I didn’t freeze it,” Yi Shen immediately distanced himself. “It was sister who called the bank.”
Yi Yue: “?”
Yi Ke squatted on the coffee table and stared at her grimly. “Do you know how embarrassed I was when I was paying?”
Yi Yue rubbed her throbbing temples. “How did you manage to swindle and trick your way into winning him over?”
That’s none of your business. Anyway, he’s my wife now! Yi Ke got off the coffee table and squeezed in between his parents, an arm around each of them. “Before you get my permission, don’t just show up at my house, don’t send random messages, and don’t go asking him. Got it?”
Yi Guodong felt like he needed some fast-acting heart pills himself. “But Ningyu is my friend.”
You had to bring that up. Yi Ke was greatly resentful. “It’s because of that relationship that he used to run away the moment he saw me at the beginning!”
Yi Guodong: “…”
Deng Zongyun asked with a trembling voice, “You really didn’t use any illegal means to coerce him, did you?”
Yi Ke pointed to his own handsome face. “Do I need to coerce?”
“Objectively, no,” Deng Zongyun held her son’s hand. “To be honest, I was initially trying to introduce Ningyu to your cousin, but after a few indirect attempts with no response, your third aunt did a little digging.” The intel from all sources was varied, with very little on his relationship status. Instead, she got a bunch of “his veins flow not with blood, but with liquid light, a divine radiance that pierces through crystal to the mortal world, constructing a new Neoplatonic flowing sanctity.” The flower on the high peak could not be sullied by the secular world. The third aunt was immediately dissuaded.
Yi Ke said, “Anyway, I’ve legally and healthily won him over. We’ll all have a meal together another day.”
“Let’s not make it another day. Let’s make it the fifteenth of the first lunar month,” Deng Zongyun said in a panic. “Unless I see him with my own eyes, I’ll never have peace of mind.”
“That works. I’ll ask him then,” Yi Ke grabbed an apple from the plate. He took a bite and found it quite sweet, so he stuffed two more into his pocket. “I’m leaving now. Remember to unfreeze my card.”
“Is Ningyu really staying at your place?” Yi Yue still found it fantastical.
Yi Ke nodded frequently.
Yi Yue was speechless. “Look at your punchable face.”
“I’m off,” Yi Ke waved his hand and drove away grandly, very satisfied with himself for having won over his wife. Awesome!
At home, Zhuang Ningyu didn’t watch TV for long. He went to the gym for a while, then took a shower in the bathroom, and then began to wander curiously through the various rooms. When Yi Ke got home, he was on a ladder in the two-story study, looking for a book. “You’re back?”
“Yeah,” Yi Ke held out his hands. “Jump down.”
Zhuang Ningyu actually jumped.
Yi Ke laughed and caught him, then took the delicious apples from his pocket and gave them to him. “My parents want to invite you to their place for dinner on the fifteenth of the first lunar month.”
Zhuang Ningyu’s movement paused. “You told them?”
“Yeah,” Yi Ke went to the kitchen to wash the fruit for him.
Zhuang Ningyu had no objection to the dinner; they would have to meet sooner or later anyway. But… he sat on the living room sofa for a while, then suddenly turned his head as if struck by inspiration. “Did your parents freeze your bank card because they don’t approve of us being together?”
“Of course not!” Yi Ke asked in shock. “Why would you think that?”
Zhuang Ningyu said “oh.” “Then pretend I didn’t say anything.”
“How could my parents not approve of us being together?” Yi Ke was still in a daze, shaking him by the shoulders. “You’re so wonderful.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “Mhm, mhm, I know.”
“Wifey,” Yi Ke pressed his face against his. “You’re exceptionally wonderful.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “That’s enough. No more reciting hymns of praise to me.”
Yi Ke: “Then a kiss.”
Zhuang Ningyu gave him a peck on the lips. “Can you let me go read my book now?”
“Which one do you want to read?”
“Faust.”
An hour later, Yi Ke was leaning against the headboard, tenderly reading a bedtime poem to his wife: “I stagger between desire and enjoyment, and in enjoyment, an even stronger desire is born.”
Zhuang Ningyu looked at the brick-like hardcover edition of Faust hanging over his head, feeling a complete lack of security.
Yi Ke: “I will kiss him, kiss him to my heart’s content, even if I suffocate from the kiss, I won’t care at all! Smooch smooch smooch.”
Zhuang Ningyu snapped the book shut with a “thwack.” He had to work tomorrow. Time to sleep.
Yi Ke held him. “Captain He is coming back tomorrow, right?”
Zhuang Ningyu answered with a hum.
He, He Mo, and Huo Ting were good friends in university. Although they were in different majors and years, it didn’t stop them from hanging out all the time. He Mo was not as steady as Huo Ting, nor did he have Zhuang Ningyu’s twisted artistic flair. He was carefree all day long, and out of ten sentences, you could pick out nine lies. The remaining one had to be wrung dry of all moisture before it could be cautiously analyzed. It was precisely such a roguish character who, in the end, became the leader of the most academic and rigorous research group, which was a real shock to the university professors who had taught him.
The advantage of living in Guanxing Tower was being able to clock into the office right on time. Zhuang Ningyu had already been working in the research group for two days after his annual leave. He had a good relationship with all his colleagues, perhaps even too good. He was often given snacks. In the morning, after a meeting in the lab, he watered the money tree with a small spray bottle and moved the pot into the sunlight.
“Bang!”
The office door was pushed open hard, and a tall figure rushed in like the wind.
“Quick, quick, let our Xiao Ning come give big brother a hug!” He Mo opened his arms enthusiastically. “To celebrate you finally recognizing the right department with your sharp eyes.”
Zhuang Ningyu sprayed a stream of water in his face. He Mo was heartbroken. “Damn, why does it smell like fertilizer?”
“I have a boyfriend,” Zhuang Ningyu reminded him kindly. “Please maintain some social distance in the future to avoid unnecessary trouble.”
He Mo was struck by lightning. You have a what-now? He was petrified on the spot, asking mournfully, “Who is it?”
Zhuang Ningyu AirDropped him a fancy file.
He Mo opened it, bewildered, and was shocked after seeing the table of contents. “You actually made a whole PowerPoint presentation just to introduce your boyfriend?”
“So that none of you have to ask me every time you see me.” Zhuang Ningyu picked up his thermos to get some water. He had eight cups in his drawer, each filled with dried fruit or tea leaves, just enough for a day’s needs. As he passed He Mo, he even kindly patted him on the shoulder. “My boyfriend is great. The PPT is a bit long. you can sit on the sofa and take your time looking at it.”
He Mo’s eyes were dizzy from the flashy effects. He left the office in a very weak state. As he went downstairs, he happened to run into Ren Bing. Considering that the two had already argued… debated on the phone five or six times before, he immediately put on his classic “smiling on the outside but not on the inside” expression and shook hands with him perfunctorily. At the same time, he took out his phone. “I need to send a file to Ningyu, but I can’t tell which is his work number and which is his private number. Ah, I’ve added too many. It’s so hard to choose!”
Ren Bing slapped a file into his arms. “Meeting on the third floor in half an hour.”
Who are you to order me to a meeting? Whose turf is this anyway? He Mo was bewildered. He opened it and took a look, his expression immediately turning serious. He went back to his office and called Zhuang Ningyu. “Meeting in half an hour. There’s a result on the Zeus Grand Hotel case.”
“Okay.”
