WTCM 13. First Love

The next morning, Chen Tianxiang got up early. Since he had promised to make breakfast, of course, he had to show off his cooking skills. But Qi Haiyang was even earlier, showing no signs of exhaustion. He had already finished his morning run by 6:30 and was now circling around the stove, trying to help.

However, after seeing him chop tomatoes like he was playing Fruit Ninja, Chen Tianxiang decisively kicked him out of the kitchen, banning him from touching even a single ingredient or kitchen utensil.

“Xiang-ge, you look hot even in an apron!” Qi Haiyang leaned against the kitchen door, watching the handsome man cook, feeling itchy all over. A wild idea suddenly popped into his head. “Next time you cook… Xiang-ge, how about you wear just the apron and nothing else?!”

“Why don’t you go for your morning run butt naked?” Chen Tianxiang shot him a glare. After spending these past few days together, he was already used to the way this guy’s brain worked.

To his surprise, Qi Haiyang just grinned, baring his teeth proudly as he shook his head. “Heh, heh. I actually did run naked once, but it was at three in the morning, on the school track, when no one was around.”

Chen Tianxiang was flipping a pancake when he heard that. His hand slipped, and the pancake almost flew up to the ceiling. He knew this guy was dumb, but not this dumb. Running naked on campus in the middle of the night? If he got caught, he’d be expelled on the spot!

“Are you fucking insane? If someone had seen you, you’d be done for!” Chen Tianxiang barely managed to catch the pancake back into the pan. He made up his mind to teach this idiot a lesson so he wouldn’t do anything that brainless again.

“Ah, I lost a bet with a senior. No way I could back out. Besides, he kept watch for me, so no one saw.”

“The senior… the one you liked?”

Qi Haiyang sounded casual, but Chen Tianxiang felt a stab of jealousy. Ever since his ex dumped him, he had sworn to completely forget about that bastard. He had never mentioned a word about him to Qi Haiyang. But what about Qi Haiyang? He never stopped bringing up his damn senior, talking about him like it was second nature, making it impossible for Chen Tianxiang to pretend he didn’t care.

“Uh… well…” Qi Haiyang blinked, suddenly realizing something. He immediately ran into the kitchen and grabbed Chen Tianxiang’s wrist, looking like he was making a solemn vow. “Xiang-ge! Everything before doesn’t count! I only like you!”

“Let go, let go! Watch the damn pan!” Chen Tianxiang almost dropped the frying pan again. He shot him a sharp glare, but inside, his heart was melting like honey.

“Okay, okay…” Qi Haiyang quickly raised both hands in surrender. He took two steps back, then scratched his head with a bitter smile. “Xiang-ge, you know I grew up in a small town. I’d never even met a real gay person before. My thing with that senior was just curiosity. We were fooling around, nothing serious. When he got a girlfriend and broke it off, I wasn’t even upset. I just figured I’d find someone else to play with. Who knew I’d run into you? Seriously! Xiang-ge, you are actually my first love! I’ve never liked anyone before you!”

“Hah. A few days ago, you were crying your damn eyes out, saying your senior got a girlfriend and made a fool of you. Was that a lie?” Chen Tianxiang’s expression darkened, but his heart was gloating. This idiot talked about his senior so much, but it wasn’t because he still had feelings for him. He never gave a shit about the guy in the first place.

“Uh… I put in some eye drops…” Qi Haiyang scratched his head sheepishly. “You probably figured it out, right? I was just acting pitiful to win your sympathy.”

“Of course I figured it out.” Chen Tianxiang finally let a smile slip, curling his lips as he shot him a side glance. He decided to stop messing with him.

The pancakes were done, stacked neatly on a plate. The millet porridge, thick and smooth, was ready. Along with fried eggs, sausages, and sugar-dressed tomatoes, it wasn’t a feast, but it was a well-balanced, nutritious meal.

“Whoa, Xiang-ge, your cooking is amazing!” Qi Haiyang took a bite of the pancake, the green and white dough chewy yet soft, carrying the fresh aroma of Jingjie leaves.

“After work, I used to focus on figuring out what to cook, trying to make him comfortable, worried that all the drinking was hurting his stomach.” Chen Tianxiang gave a self-deprecating smile. The ‘him’ he kept hidden in his heart was something he had avoided bringing up, but it was time to push it out.

Qi Haiyang was also stunned, almost choking on the piece of bread he had halfway swallowed. He stretched his neck and forced it down, standing up quickly, ignoring the soup he was trying to sip for relief. “Xiang-ge! I want to learn how to cook from you. I’ll never mess it up like yesterday again! You won’t have to lift a finger, and we’ll eat well every day!”

The simplest words are always the most moving. Chen Tianxiang smiled and waved for him to sit down. “Alright, I’ll prepare the ingredients, and you can cook dinner. I’ll handle breakfast. And don’t bring food back after your morning run. You’re a student. d
Don’t waste money.”

“It’s fine, that little bit of money I—” Qi Haiyang started, but then remembered how he’d once claimed to have spent half a month’s living expenses on that double-ended dildo. His brain quickly shifted. “Oh… that. Actually, I’m not short on living expenses. Our school did well in the recent competition, and I earned quite a bit of prize money. But that dildo was pretty expensive. Really, you don’t want it? It feels like a waste.”

Chen Tianxiang couldn’t help but laugh to himself. This idiot was still thinking about that dual-head dragon. He kicked off his slippers, lifted his bare feet from under the table, and stepped right between the other person’s legs. “We already have the real thing, why bother with that fake stuff?”

“Xiang-ge! You mean you’re going to use your own tool personally?”

His playful teasing made Qi Haiyang break into a grin. He immediately pushed his bowl aside, eager to drag him to the bed, only to calm down after a few slaps to the head, continuing to eat his breakfast. Even though it was Sunday, Chen Tianxiang kept a strict routine and hadn’t planned on fooling around after breakfast. Besides, he had his own plans, ones that needed to be taken care of today. After all, it was meant to be a surprise for Qi Haiyang.