ACBAM 49: Hotpot

Gu Weiyang’s cold dragged on for about a week before he finally got better. During that time, Su Shijin gave him two more desensitization treatments, still keeping the dose within his tolerance, releasing only the faintest trace of mint.

Even so, every time the treatment ended, Gu Weiyang would get all worked up and rush straight into the bathroom.

But he had learned his lesson this time. While still sick, Mr. Gu didn’t dare take cold showers again. He had to rely on quick hands to deal with it twice, then rinse off with hot water before diving under the covers, lying stiffly on his back and forcing himself into sage mode.

On Saturday, Su Shijin had to work a daytime shift and wouldn’t get off until five in the afternoon.

Seeing that, Gu Weiyang simply went to the office for some overtime himself, which made Tan Zhao sneer in disbelief and call it a miracle.

Around three in the afternoon, after finishing his paperwork, Gu Weiyang clocked out and left.

Tan Zhao originally wanted to ask him out for drinks that night, but considering that Gu Weiyang now had a household to go home to and was still stuck in one-sided love, he thought better of it and kept quiet.

After getting off work, Gu Weiyang didn’t head straight home. Instead, he drove to a supermarket.

Not far from the office, in a nearby residential area, there was a huge fresh food market. The fruits and vegetables there were all exceptionally fresh and reasonably priced.

There were actually still plenty of groceries in his fridge, but since Gu Weiyang planned to have hotpot that evening, those ingredients didn’t really fit.

So he strolled leisurely through the fresh market, pushing a shopping cart along the aisles.

Dr. Su doesn’t like spinach—skip that.

Dr. Su likes beef rolls—take two extra packs.

Enoki mushrooms, tofu sheets, kelp sprouts…

Gu Weiyang picked out each item with care. After wandering around for quite a while, he finally filled the cart to the brim.

Even though he’d picked out all the things Dr. Su liked to eat, Gu Weiyang didn’t feel like he was being especially good to him.

After all, most of what Dr. Su liked, he also liked himself. Gu Weiyang wasn’t about to get sentimental, he was just genuinely happy that he would get to share another dinner with Dr. Su.

It wasn’t until he was in line at the checkout that Gu Weiyang realized he had forgotten to ask whether Dr. Su even wanted a hotpot that night.

Gu Weiyang lowered his gaze to the groceries in the cart, thinking that if they didn’t end up having hotpot, he could still use them to make beef rolls with enoki mushrooms, stir-fry shiitake with greens, or toss the meatballs and quail eggs together with other vegetables into a hearty stew.

In the end, whether it was a hotpot or not, it all worked out the same.

After paying and carrying a bag of food back to his car, Gu Weiyang sent Su Shijin a message: [Dr. Su, are you coming home for dinner tonight?]

When Su Shijin got the message, he was in the middle of examining a puppy. His phone buzzed on the table—he heard it, but didn’t have time to check.

It wasn’t until after the exam was done and he’d prescribed medicine for the pup that Dr. Su washed his hands, picked up the phone, glanced at the message, and replied: [I’ll be home.]

Gu Weiyang’s lips curved as he relaxed a little: [Then what do you want for dinner? Hotpot or stir-fry?]

Su Shijin weighed the two options and felt like hotpot sounded better, but then…

[Su Shijin: You just got over a cold. Better not have a hotpot.]

Gu Weiyang’s eyes lit up. Was Dr. Su worrying about him?

In an instant, Gu Weiyang perked up, brimming with energy, grinning from ear to ear as he typed back: [I’ve been fine for a while now, my throat doesn’t hurt anymore. Alphas recover fast!!]

To prove he was really over his cold, Gu Weiyang even added two exclamation marks.

[Gu Weiyang: We can do a twin-flavor hotpot—half spicy beef tallow, half tomato broth. How about that?]

This time, Su Shijin had no objections: [Alright. Did you already buy the ingredients? If not, we can go after I get off work.]

Gu Weiyang: [I just got off work and already bought everything. You just head straight home after, and be careful on the road.]

Su Shijin: [Alright.]

Gu Weiyang sent back a sticker of a puppy tossing flowers, then scrolled up to reread their chat. It felt so much like the sweet, domestic banter of an AO couple after marriage that he was instantly filled with bliss. In high spirits and completely satisfied, he put his phone away and drove home.

—

Anshi Animal Hospital had plenty of visitors today. After all, it was Saturday, and quite a few people from out of town had driven in with their pets for checkups.

Fortunately, there were enough doctors on duty, so after taking an extra half hour to check on the animals in the inpatient ward, Su Shijin changed clothes, clocked out, and headed home.

By the time he arrived, it was just past six in the evening.

As soon as he stepped through the door, Su Shijin caught the rich aroma of hotpot.

The mingling scent of tomato broth and spicy broth instantly stirred his hunger, especially since he’d barely eaten at lunch.

“Mr. Gu.” Su Shijin took off his coat and hung it on the rack by the door, slipped into his slippers, and walked into the room—where he saw the steaming pot on the table, surrounded by a spread of dishes.

Gu Weiyang had just finished slicing a potato and set it in a bowl when he heard the sound of the door. He poked his head out from the kitchen. “You’re back.”

Su Shijin gave a quiet “Mm,” rolling up his sleeves. “I’ll wash my hands first.”

“Alright,” Gu Weiyang replied, then dropped half of the sliced potato into the tomato broth, knowing it would make the soup especially flavorful.

After washing his hands, Su Shijin went to the kitchen to carry out the rest of the dishes. Only then did he notice that even the dipping sauces on the table were fully prepared.

Oil dip, minced garlic, cilantro, sesame, chopped chili—everything was laid out.

“You must have spent quite a bit of time on this?” Su Shijin said in surprise.

Gu Weiyang wiped his hands casually. “Didn’t have anything else to do after work anyway. The food’s pretty much ready, come sit and eat.”

But Su Shijin didn’t touch his chopsticks. He waited until Gu Weiyang sat down as well before picking up the serving chopsticks and dropping slices of raw beef and lamb rolls into the spicy broth.

Following exactly the same mix Su Shijin had made for him at Grandpa’s house last time, Gu Weiyang prepared a dipping sauce and placed the dish in front of him.

Seeing that, Su Shijin poured him a glass of juice.

A small gesture in return.

Drinking the juice Su Shijin had poured, Gu Weiyang felt that tonight’s hotpot tasted even better than the last time.

The rich aroma lingered in the dining room for nearly an hour before it finally began to fade.

After they finished eating, Su Shijin packed up the leftover vegetables and put them in the fridge, while Gu Weiyang tidied up the table.

After clearing the table, Gu Weiyang rinsed the rag while glancing at Su Shijin, who was still organizing the fridge. “Dr. Su, do you have any plans tonight?”

Su Shijin turned his head. “No. Why? Do you want to continue with the desensitization treatment?”

Gu Weiyang shook his head. “Not that. I was wondering if you would like to watch a movie in the screening room. You’ve been living here for days now, but I don’t think you’ve ever gone down there, have you?”

Hearing that, Su Shijin paused what he was doing, his gaze resting on him for a few seconds.

Gu Weiyang lowered his eyes, finished rinsing the rag and hung it up, acting as though he had only asked casually. “Of course, if you would rather turn in early, that’s fine too. I can wash some strawberries later, you can take them upstairs to eat.”

Su Shijin’s fingertips tapped lightly against the refrigerator door a few times, as if lost in thought.

The wait for a reply felt unusually long, and Gu Weiyang could only busy himself by wiping down the counter again with the rag he had just washed.

With a sudden bang, Su Shijin shut the refrigerator door, startling Gu Weiyang so much that his back went rigid for a moment.

“I’ll head upstairs to wash up first, then we can watch a movie. How about that?” Su Shijin asked.

Gu Weiyang’s eyes lit up at once. He forced down the grin tugging at his lips and said, “Mm, perfect. I’ll go wash up too.”

Reeking of a hotpot like this, it’s better to clean up, so Dr. Su wouldn’t be choked by the smell while watching a movie.

As they went upstairs, even the tips of Gu Weiyang’s hair seemed to radiate happiness.

Su Shijin sighed helplessly, thinking Mr. Gu was far too easy to read.

As for himself…

He clearly could have refused, yet when the words reached his lips, they inexplicably came out different.

It must be the compatibility rate at work, Su Shijin thought.