TT Chapter 18. Cute

Chen Ting had no idea why Pei Yiyao was upset. On the surface, he looked as cold and aloof as always, but Chen Ting could just tell that he was angry.

After Gao Duo left, Pei Yiyao turned down Xu Yiming’s invitation to eat and brought Chen Ting straight home.

On the ride back, Chen Ting sat on the back of Pei Yiyao’s bike, the wind rushing past his ears. He kept turning over the possibilities in his mind, trying to figure out what had set Pei Yiyao off.

Was it Gao Duo’s attitude that rubbed him the wrong way?

Or was it because he hadn’t cheered for him during the game? Did he think Chen Ting had switched sides?

That would be such a misunderstanding. Chen Ting was still totally on his side. They were friends, after all.

“Pei Yiyao, are you upset?” As a good friend, Chen Ting decided to go straight for the pitch.

“No,” Pei Yiyao replied.

“You were amazing today. I think the only reason Senior called it off was because he didn’t want to lose too badly.”

“Mm.”

A soft hum, with the faintest upward lilt. Their conversation drifted in the wind, passing through dappled shadows of tree branches, carried far into the quiet folds of time.

When they got back to the villa, it was just around noon, but Ruan Xin was already gone. She had figured the two boys would be out all day, so she went out to take care of some errands. Since returning to the country, she had leased a storefront in the city center and was preparing to open a floral design studio. Renovation work was currently underway.

With Ruan Xin gone and the housekeeper on a half-day break, the two of them looked around and quickly ran into a new dilemma. There was no one to make lunch.

Pei Yiyao got straight to the point. “Takeout or go back to campus?”

Chen Ting didn’t answer right away. He jogged into the kitchen, opened the fridge, took a look, then turned back and said, “I can make a few simple home-style dishes. Want to try my cooking?”

Pei Yiyao paused for a moment, then followed him into the kitchen. “Need help?”

Having someone help was naturally a good thing. Chen Ting pulled out the limited ingredients from the fridge and picked out three tomatoes to hand over. “Then help me wash these, and cut them into chunks.”

Pei Yiyao took them calmly. “Should I peel them?”

Chen Ting paused. “…No.”

He began to wonder whether asking Pei Yiyao to help had been the right decision. But Pei Yiyao quickly proved one thing. Geniuses really could do anything.

Say what you will, at least his chopping skills looked convincing. Maybe he had done some sort of mental calculation, because every tomato chunk came out nearly the same size.

“By the way, do you guys have an apron?” Chen Ting asked as he plated the rest of the ingredients.

Pei Yiyao nodded. He vaguely remembered there being one, and after rummaging through the cabinets for a while, he pulled out a floral checkered apron.

Chen Ting wiped his hands and slipped it on. But when he reached around to tie it, he fumbled for a while without finding the strap.

“Huh?” Chen Ting frowned. It was just a tiny strap, why did even that seem to be working against him?

Pei Yiyao saw the little crease between his brows and stepped forward, slipping the strap into his hand. Chen Ting’s hand wasn’t long or slender, but soft and rounded, making it look smaller than it actually was.

“Thanks.” Chen Ting grabbed the strap and tied it neatly, then started stir-frying, completely unaware that someone’s gaze had never left him.

Pei Yiyao kept his eyes on him. Watching him flip and stir like he had done it a hundred times. His cheeks turned red from the rising steam. Sunlight fell across his face, and for some reason, Pei Yiyao felt it warm something in his chest.

Thump, thump… That flutter in his chest grew stronger and stronger. His heart pounded harder and harder, like something had tugged at the nerve that held all his emotions in place.

Pei Yiyao wasn’t entirely sure what this feeling meant, but he knew one thing clearly: in that moment, he wanted to wrap his arms around Chen Ting from behind. Just one hug.

All right, maybe not entirely just.

But still, he wanted to hug him.

He stepped forward. Just then, Chen Ting turned around, and the two of them ended up face to face, no more than ten centimeters apart.

The air seemed to freeze. Even the aroma of tomato and scrambled eggs was trapped in this small corner of the kitchen, as the temperature rose rapidly.

Chen Ting still had the spatula in his hand. He blinked, looking at Pei Yiyao so close in front of him, and instinctively tried to take a step back, only to find there was nowhere to go.

“W-what are you doing?”

Pei Yiyao stared at him, something unreadable in his gaze. But instead of moving closer, he suddenly paused. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the kitchen paper on the counter, reached over, and pulled a sheet. “Just getting a napkin.”

He stepped back a few paces. And just like that, the moment shattered.

But it didn’t disappear completely. It lingered somewhere deep in Pei Yiyao’s chest, stirring up the memory of the dream he had the night before, one that had been filled with things he couldn’t quite name.

“You didn’t have to get that close just to grab a napkin… scared me half to death,” Chen Ting muttered under his breath. But before he could dwell on it, a faint burnt smell rose from the pan, and he quickly turned off the stove and dished everything out.

In the end, he made two dishes and a soup: tomato scrambled eggs, cola chicken wings, and century egg tofu soup. It wasn’t a lot of variety, but the portions were generous, and it was more than enough for two people.

Only then did he realize he had forgotten to cook rice. The two of them stared at the table full of food, both at a loss, until Pei Yiyao calmly took out his phone and ordered mala soup with two servings of rice.

Chen Ting rubbed his nose, feeling a little embarrassed. Pei Yiyao didn’t show any reaction. He sat down naturally and picked up a chicken wing without hesitation.

“Is it good?” Chen Ting asked.

“Yeah.” Pei Yiyao nodded. Chen Ting’s cooking wasn’t on par with a professional chef’s, but for home-style dishes, it was more than good. Well-balanced in color, aroma, and taste.

It was the first time Chen Ting had cooked for someone outside his family. Seeing Pei Yiyao nod put him at ease. He claimed the leftover cola from cooking as his own, drinking it guilt-free.

By the time they finished eating, it was already one in the afternoon. Chen Ting needed to head back to campus for his part-time job, so he told Pei Yiyao and went upstairs to grab his clothes. But to his surprise, Ruan Xin had already washed them. They were hanging out on the balcony, still damp.

Chen Ting stared at a certain pair of strawberry-print briefs fluttering in the breeze, his face instantly flushing red.

“What’s wrong?” Pei Yiyao asked as he came up behind him.

Chen Ting quickly turned around and pushed him back toward the stairs. “Nothing, nothing. Let’s go.”

Pei Yiyao went along with it and headed downstairs. But as they turned the corner, he still glanced back. Through the glass, the little strawberries on the fabric were no longer clearly visible, but judging by the size, there was no doubt they belonged to Chen Ting.

Cute.

They returned to campus a little after two. Chen Ting’s shift started at three thirty, but since he had taken time off last week, he planned to make up for it now. What he didn’t expect was for Pei Yiyao to follow him all the way to the dorm instead of going back to his own. When they arrived downstairs, he said, “I’m heading to the library anyway.”

“Oh, then just wait here. I’ll be quick!” Chen Ting didn’t think too much of it. He ran up to the dorm, dropped off his things, and headed right back out.

From behind, Yang Shulin called after him. “Ting Ting! Where are you running off to again?”

Chen Ting didn’t even stop. He waved as he walked. “Part-time job!”

“Take me with you!”

“I’ve got plans today!”

Yang Shulin chased after him for a few steps but couldn’t catch up. He turned around and leaned over the hallway railing to look outside, just in time to see Chen Ting run up beside Pei Yiyao. The two of them walked side by side toward the library.

Why was Cool Guy here again? Thanks to him, Yang Shulin felt like his time with Ting Ting was shrinking fast. Going out to eat together was one thing, but now he was even luring Ting Ting into staying out overnight.

And now, after finally coming back, he hadn’t even stayed five minutes before getting dragged out again.

Soon after, Yang Shulin received a WeChat message from Chen Ting.

Donghu Crab King: By the way, I forgot to tell you. I ran into our boss at the off-campus basketball court today. He said he’s coming to the café later. You wanna come?

YSL: emmmmmmm let me think.

YSL: You think he still remembers what I said to him that day?

Donghu Crab King: No idea.

Donghu Crab King: But he got a haircut and shaved. He actually looks pretty handsome.

YSL: Really? I’m on my way!

Yang Shulin’s vanity had not yet died. For the sake of his journalistic ambitions, he decided to give it one more shot.

Twenty minutes later, Pei Yiyao was looking at Gao Duo, who stood behind the counter with a smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Yang Shulin standing off to the left. Pei Yiyao quietly pulled back the foot he had lifted toward the library and found a seat instead.

He wasn’t leaving.

Gao Duo leaned against the counter, giving him a long, meaningful look. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the glass surface. Several seconds passed before he turned and looked at Yang Shulin.

“What did you just say?”

“I said, Senior, would you be willing to let me do an exclusive interview with you? I’m with the campus press team, and I promise I won’t twist your words!”

“Oh. I refuse.”

Being rejected that flatly, Yang Shulin felt a little stabbed in the heart. But as a committed reporter, and determined not to let Gou Ge down, he rallied his courage and struck up conversation again.

Half an hour later, Yang Shulin’s mission had shifted from getting an interview to just getting Gao Duo to add him on WeChat.

“Senior, just add me on WeChat, yeah?”

“I promise I won’t bother you!”

“Come on, just add me?”

Gao Duo sat beside a pot of asparagus fern in the corner. The beauty leaned slightly against the small-paned window, book in hand, chin resting on his palm, eyes lowered. He gave no response whatsoever.

Yang Shulin began to feel defeated. He went to ask Chen Ting for a glass of plain water to soothe his throat, which felt like it was about to start smoking. Chen Ting whispered, “You have to appeal to what he likes. Did you see the book in his hand? It’s from that shelf over there.”

Yang Shulin nodded vigorously. “You’re right. Great idea, Ting Ting. I’m going to read every book on that shelf!”

Chen Ting was deeply gratified. After more than a year of pushing this recommendation with no success, he had finally managed to convert someone.

With Yang Shulin off reading, the world finally quieted down. But just then, Pei Yiyao got a call from his advisor and had to leave in a hurry to head back to the dorm for a video meeting.

“You’re leaving?” Chen Ting happened to be passing by with a tray of coffee and asked without thinking.

Pei Yiyao paused and turned to look at him. That strange longing in his chest stirred again, and before he could stop himself, he reached out and ruffled Chen Ting’s hair. “Yeah. I’m heading out.”

Chen Ting stood there confused. If you’re leaving, then leave. Why are you messing with my hair?

Elsewhere, Gao Duo finally decided to acknowledge Yang Shulin.

“Hey, freshman. Do you know what’s going on between Chen Ting and that Pei Yiyao?”

Yang Shulin scratched his head. “Huh? What do you mean? They’re just friends.”

“Just regular friends?”

“Not exactly. Their families know each other. They’ve, uh, known each other for a long time, I think.”

“Oh… childhood friends, huh.”

Yang Shulin slapped his thigh. “That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Gao Duo raised an eyebrow in disdain. Was this kid dumb or something?