WTCM 10. A Warm Dark Dish

Zhou Jing took the drunken driver into the police car and, before leaving, gave Chen Tianxiang’s chest a hearty slap and laughed. “You little rascal, you’re really avoiding me. Don’t worry, it’s no big deal. I won’t say a word.”

Seeing that Zhou Jing didn’t think much of the massager incident, Chen Tianxiang felt relieved. His expression softened, and he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He thought, “I’m really just making trouble for myself. Jing-ge isn’t the type to gossip.”

While he was letting go of his worries, someone else was overthinking. Qi Haiyang stared at the police officer who was taking the person away. He looked sunny and handsome, just like someone Chen Tianxiang would like! Seeing the officer’s face turn red one moment and then smile to himself, it looked like they shared some little secret. There had to be something going on between them! But the officer looked like such a straight guy!

So, Qi Haiyang, with a pitiful look, leaned over and grabbed Chen Tianxiang, saying in distress, “Xiang-ge! You can’t be going down the wrong path! That officer is definitely straight…”

Before he could finish, Chen Tianxiang covered his mouth. He thought to himself, “How did I forget about this big mouth? From the look on his face, he must have misunderstood.”

“I know, we’ll talk when we get home, cousin!” He then pulled out the house key and placed it in Qi Haiyang’s hand. “You go home first. I’ll finish my shift and come back.”

“Okay! Xiang-ge! Don’t come home too late!” Qi Haiyang happily grabbed the key, forgetting all about the earlier misunderstanding. “What do you like to eat? I’ll cook for you tonight!”

“You can cook?” Chen Tianxiang chuckled when he heard, seeing Qi Haiyang nodding eagerly. A smile appeared on his face. “Alright, make your best dish, I’ll try it tonight.”

Qi Haiyang could tell that the smile from the cold-faced, cool guy was genuinely meant for him. So, he decided to be magnanimous and not worry about his Xiang-ge’s past with that straight-laced officer. Anyway, the Xiang-ge of the future, he had already won about eighty percent of him. As for the remaining twenty percent, after tonight, he should be able to secure that too!

This was the first time Chen Tianxiang was eager to leave on time. Unfortunately, right before he was about to leave, he got another case, and by the time he finished, the sky was already dark. But when he returned downstairs and saw the lights on at home, the feeling of someone waiting for him to come back was warm and sweet, like the spring rain of March, gently moistening the heart.

He couldn’t help but think back to when he lived with his ex-boyfriend. His ex’s work kept him busy with social engagements, and he would usually come home later than Chen Tianxiang. If there was a day when his ex came home before him, the scumbag would undoubtedly call up a few drinking buddies and head out for a meal. So, the image of someone waiting for him at home… seemed like something he never had.

Breaking up had been the right decision. If you’re too fixated on a single tree in front of you, you might miss the beauty of the entire forest.

Chen Tianxiang sighed inwardly as he opened the door. The smell of food wafted in, and it was a feeling he hadn’t had in years. Since being cut off from his family and kicked out of his home, he hadn’t eaten a warm meal in a so-called “home” ever again. No, it should be said that that place he once called home, wasn’t really home at all.

“Xiang-ge!” Qi Haiyang, hearing the movement, rushed over like a happy dog and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the kitchen to see his masterpiece. “I was afraid the food would cool down, so I just finished frying it. There’s a big dish still warming on the stove, I’ll go serve it now!”

On the table were four plates: one with slightly burnt fried peanuts, another with bright green cucumber salad. There were also two stir-fries—egg and tomato, and stir-fried shredded potatoes in vinegar. It was simple, but it was all steaming hot. No wonder he had called every ten minutes to ask when he would be home. It turned out he was timing the cooking just right.

Chen Tianxiang suddenly felt his eyes sting a bit. As Qi Haiyang went to the kitchen, he rubbed his eyes hard, quietly reminding himself to maintain his cool image and not tear up over something so small. Maybe Qi Haiyang just liked his cool guy persona.

Qi Haiyang brought over the big dish, which turned out to be a mixed hotpot kit from the supermarket, one of those dishes that only needed to be boiled. When he saw Chen Tianxiang had set up white wine and two glasses on the table, Qi Haiyang placed the pot down and, proudly looking at the spread of food and drinks, chuckled.

“How’s it? Simple but decent, right?”

Although the so-called “meat dish” was nothing more than some deep-fried meatballs in the hotpot, Chen Tianxiang still gave an approving nod. But a minute later, he was crying inside…

Damn, this was unbearably bad!

The scrambled eggs were mixed with bits of eggshell, and worst of all, there was no salt! The shredded potatoes were so sour they had an underlying bitterness, God only knew how much vinegar Qi Haiyang had dumped into them. The seemingly harmless cucumber salad, on the other hand, was drowning in wasabi. One bite nearly had him shedding real tears on the spot. The only thing remotely edible was the burnt fried peanuts. At least those could still pass as a proper bar snack.

Qi Haiyang took a bite of the cucumber, wiped away his own tears, and pushed the hotpot toward Chen Tianxiang. “Ah, messed up this time. Good thing I had the sense to buy the hotpot. Xiang-ge, eat this, this one’s actually good.”

“Tastes pretty decent.” Chen Tianxiang picked up a piece of fried meatball and made sure to compliment it. The kid had gone through all this effort to cook a meal. If he looked too disgusted, Qi Haiyang might get discouraged.

“It looks easy, but who knew cooking was actually this hard?” Qi Haiyang, however, was the carefree type. Even if Chen Tianxiang’s dislike was written all over his face, he probably wouldn’t have taken it to heart.

“I’m off tomorrow… so don’t leave tonight. I’ll make breakfast in the morning.” Chen Tianxiang hesitated for a moment. Even though Qi Haiyang had been crashing at his place every night lately, this was the first time he had actively asked him to stay.

Qi Haiyang hadn’t planned on leaving anyway. The moment he heard those words, he let out a cheer and immediately refilled both their glasses. With the hotpot and the drinks, they went back and forth, drinking quite a bit.

There was no need to say it aloud. Just the fact that Chen Tianxiang had brought out the liquor was already a tacit understanding between them. Since their relationship had been progressing smoothly over the past week, they might as well solidify it under the influence of alcohol. As for who would be on top or bottom… well, that was a matter of skill.

After dinner, they idled around watching a drama. Qi Haiyang, yawning nonstop, was the first to head off to shower and naturally, crawling right into Chen Tianxiang’s bed as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

By the time Chen Tianxiang finished washing up and returned to the bedroom, he found Qi Haiyang stripped down to just his underwear, propping his head up with one hand. It was supposed to be a seductive pose, but given his broad-shouldered, rough-and-tumble look, it was more ridiculous than alluring. He threw him an exaggerated wink, then covered his face and giggled like an idiot.

“Hehehe, what do I do? I feel so shy.”

“You? Shy?”

Chen Tianxiang had a habit of wearing sleepwear, though this time, while he had his pajama top on, he hadn’t bothered to button it. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pressed a hand against Qi Haiyang’s firm waist and abdomen. Then, following the defined lines of his V-cut abs, he slid his fingers down, slipping them under the waistband of his underwear.