Ren Yi placed the prepared dishes on the table one by one, then opened a bottle of red wine.
Gong Yingxian sat in his chair with his arms crossed, looking at the spread of food that was completely different from his usual diet, unsure what expression he should make.
Ren Yi sat across from him. “There’s nothing here you don’t eat, right?”
Gong Yingxian shook his head and was just about to speak when Ren Yi suddenly said, “Oh,” stopping him. “I know you don’t eat hot food, but you do eat warm food, right? You can wait for these dishes to cool down a little before eating them. Don’t look at a few dishes with steam coming off them and immediately reject them.”
Gong Yingxian stared at him. “Why didn’t you serve the food separately?”
Ren Yi helplessly got up and went to the kitchen to bring over several more plates. He divided every dish into two portions, muttering under his breath, “So picky.”
Gong Yingxian was amused by Ren Yi’s expression and laughed. “The fact that I’m willing to eat this kind of food with you at such a small table, sitting this close to you, when there isn’t even any attempt at presentation, already means I’m being very accepting of you.”
“Then thank you so much, Your Highness.”
“What did you call me?” Gong Yingxian raised his voice at the end.
“Young Master.” Ren Yi teased him. “My dishes may not look very refined, but they should taste pretty good. Try them.”
Gong Yingxian picked up his chopsticks and put some chilled chrysanthemum greens into his mouth. There was a light touch of vinegar and a tiny bit of chili in the dish, making it very refreshing.
Ren Yi’s eyes lit up as he looked at Gong Yingxian expectantly. “Well?”
Gong Yingxian nodded. “Not bad.”
Ren Yi grinned. “I don’t cook very often, but I can make something pretty good just by following a recipe. Can’t help it—I’m smart.”
As he spoke, he ladled a bowl of winter melon and fish-ball soup and placed it beside Gong Yingxian.
Gong Yingxian lowered his head slightly and leaned closer to smell it. “It’s hot.”
“Try the beef and potatoes. That one isn’t hot.”
Gong Yingxian picked up a piece of beef. He cautiously tested it with the tip of his tongue before putting it into his mouth.
Ren Yi smiled. “Have you ever thought that if you want to overcome your fear of fire, you could start by eating hot food?”
“My psychologist suggested it,” Gong Yingxian said. “But I don’t think what I eat is important.”
“How is it not important? You don’t eat hot food because you either dislike high temperatures, or subconsciously associate it with things being cooked by fire, right?”
Gong Yingxian said nothing.
“If you overcome your fear of things associated with fire, it’ll help you overcome your fear of fire itself. That logic makes sense, doesn’t it?”
Gong Yingxian gave a soft snort. “You’re really going all out just to get me to eat your cooking.”
Ren Yi laughed. “I just want you to taste more of the good things in life. Some things are better when they’re piping hot, like this bowl of soup.”
Gong Yingxian glanced at the winter melon soup, looking somewhat hesitant.
“Do me a favor and try it. See how it tastes. It won’t burn you.”
Gong Yingxian tilted the bowl toward himself and coughed lightly. “Since I’m a guest at your place today, I’ll do you the favor.”
“Come on, come on.” Ren Yi looked at Gong Yingxian with anticipation written all over his face.
Gong Yingxian elegantly picked up the bowl, stirred the soup with a spoon, then gently blew on it, trying to cool it down faster.
Ren Yi couldn’t help thinking of Miaomiao. Sometimes, when freshly cooked meat was still too hot, Miaomiao would crouch beside the bowl and obediently wait for it to cool. At that moment, Gong Yingxian looked so much like Miaomiao waiting for his meat to cool that Ren Yi couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
Gong Yingxian glared at him.
Ren Yi spread his hands.
Gong Yingxian scooped up a spoonful of soup, took a deep breath, brought it to his lips, and carefully drank it.
“How is it?” Ren Yi asked excitedly.
Gong Yingxian froze for a moment. “It’s… okay.”
He could no longer remember when the last time he had eaten something this hot had been. After what happened to his family, he had been sent to the United States. Between his aversion to high temperatures and the influence of Western dietary habits, he stopped eating anything hot or scalding. He had even forgotten what a bowl of rich, steaming-hot soup tasted like.
It turned out…it was this good.
Ren Yi felt his heart bouncing wildly.
What made him happy wasn’t simply that Gong Yingxian had eaten hot food. It was that Gong Yingxian was willing to change himself for him, even if only a little. At the very least, that meant he had some weight in this person’s heart, right?
He said happily, “If you like it, have some more. These are Wenzhou fish balls. One of the guys in our squad had them sent from his family. They make them themselves.”
Gong Yingxian met Ren Yi’s shining eyes and said, embarrassed and annoyed, “Stop urging me to eat. You’re not eating yourself?”
Ren Yi happily started eating. “This is good. This is good too. Hey, I really am pretty amazing.”
Seeing Ren Yi’s smug, secretly delighted expression, Gong Yingxian couldn’t help smiling too. For the moment, he actually forgot the shadows of the past that had been occupying his mind.
Ren Yi coaxed and coaxed until he got Gong Yingxian to taste every dish. Watching Gong Yingxian eat the food he had cooked gave him a sense of satisfaction he could hardly put into words.
Ren Yi tapped the wine bottle with his finger. “Want to have some wine?”
Gong Yingxian hesitated. “Alcohol makes people lose control. I don’t like losing control.”
“You’re too tired today. You’ve been through too much. Have some wine. It’ll help you forget everything and get a good night’s sleep.”
Gong Yingxian gave a soft snort. “It also makes people unable to get up in the morning and causes them to be late.”
Ren Yi laughed. “Why are you so petty?”
Gong Yingxian lifted his chin. “I’ll have a glass. What kind of wine is this?”
“I don’t know. A friend gave it to me.” Ren Yi poured wine for both of them. “I usually drink beer. I don’t really drink red wine, but if I made you drink beer…” He shook his head with a smile. “It just wouldn’t feel right.”
He simply couldn’t imagine Gong Yingxian squatting with them at a roadside stall, drinking beer and eating barbecue.
Gong Yingxian picked up his wineglass and swirled it gently, bringing it to his nose to smell it. “You didn’t even let it breathe first.”
“There aren’t that many rules. Just drink it.” Ren Yi grabbed his glass and deliberately clinked it against Gong Yingxian’s. “Cheers.”
Gong Yingxian had no choice but to take a sip. He frowned slightly and honestly said, “This wine isn’t good.”
By now, Ren Yi was used to Gong Yingxian’s personality and didn’t care at all. “Then bring the wine next time.”
“Fine.”
After dinner, Ren Yi immediately started getting ready to teach Gong Yingxian how to play video games.
Gong Yingxian rarely drank alcohol, so he was already a little tipsy. Leaning back on the sofa, still holding his red wineglass, he yawned and said, “Your wine isn’t good.”
“You already said that. We’ve already drunk it. Once it’s in your stomach, it’s all the same.” Ren Yi projected his phone screen onto the TV, then bumped Gong Yingxian’s shoulder. “Look at the screen. I’ll teach you how to play this game.”
“What game?”
“Have you ever played CS?”
“I don’t play games.”
Ren Yi explained, “Basically, you take a weapon and shoot the enemies. Whoever survives until the end wins.”
Gong Yingxian looked at the screen. He narrowed his eyes. “…Goddess?”
Ren Yi winked with one eye. “Isn’t that name super ethereal?”
“Why did you choose that name?” Gong Yingxian stared at him in disbelief.
“I told you already. To balance out my Five Elements.”
“‘Goddess’?”
“Well, people think I’m a woman, so they let their guard down around me. Sometimes I can even trick them into giving me equipment.”
Gong Yingxian narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t that cheating?”
“Why take it so seriously? The most important thing about a game is having fun.” Ren Yi grinned mischievously. “Come on, come on. Watch me slaughter them.”
Ren Yi picked up a gun and had barely climbed out the window when he was immediately shot down.
“……”
Gong Yingxian laughed. “Are you dead?”
Ren Yi was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed. He put down the phone and muttered, “The position just now wasn’t very good.”
Gong Yingxian picked up his wineglass and handed it to Ren Yi. Ren Yi reached out to take it, while Gong Yingxian suppressed a smile.
“This glass of wine is a solemn memorial to Goddess, who survived for one minute and forty-six seconds.”
Ren Yi laughed and cursed, “Fuck you. I just made a mistake.”
He clinked his glass heavily against Gong Yingxian’s and downed the wine in one go.
Gong Yingxian leaned back on the sofa, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. His entire body felt almost weightless. This relaxed, slightly out-of-control feeling surprisingly wasn’t unpleasant.
He said softly, “Eating, drinking, playing games… Is this how you guys grew up?”
Ren Yi smiled. “Most boys probably grow up like this, right? What did you do when you were little?”
“Studying, training, experiments.”
Ren Yi paused, then said quietly, “It must have been lonely.”
Gong Yingxian was silent for a moment before saying, “No.”
Ren Yi turned his head and glanced at Gong Yingxian.
The profile of his face was perfectly sculpted, like a statue. A faint flush colored his cheeks, while a trace of bewilderment showed in his deep eyes, making Ren Yi’s heart pound.
Gong Yingxian felt Ren Yi’s gaze and turned his face toward him as well.
Their eyes met.
Their alcohol-clouded gazes gradually regained their focus as they searched each other’s eyes. The face before them was so familiar, yet the emotions appearing on it felt strangely unfamiliar—and inexplicably made their hearts race.
As if struck by electricity, they both turned their heads away at the same time.
Ren Yi quietly took a deep breath, picked up the wine bottle, and poured more wine into both their glasses. He said loudly, “Come on, let’s drink.”
They clinked glasses and chatted, and Ren Yi continued teaching Gong Yingxian how to play the game.
At that moment, they were like two teenagers with no worries, no memories, and no crimes to deal with—simply enjoying a leisurely moment together with a friend.
Around midnight, Gong Yingxian didn’t know whether he was drunk or simply sleepy. He was sprawled across the sofa, nodding off.
Ren Yi had a slightly higher tolerance for alcohol and was relatively more sober. He patted Gong Yingxian on the shoulder. “Don’t sleep here. Go to the bedroom.”
Gong Yingxian mumbled something.
Ren Yi struggled to pull Gong Yingxian up from the sofa. “Hey, get up, get up. Go to the bedroom and sleep.”
Gong Yingxian barely opened his eyes and, supported by Ren Yi, began walking into the room.
Ren Yi didn’t have much strength left either. It was only a short distance, but with four legs between the two of them, they staggered along in every direction.
After finally seeing the bed in the guest room, Ren Yi gritted his teeth and hurried forward. When they were only a few steps from the bed, he used every ounce of strength he had and forcefully tried to toss Gong Yingxian onto it.
But Gong Yingxian suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled his entire body toward him.
The two of them fell onto the bed together.
Ren Yi landed on top of Gong Yingxian, their chests pressed against each other.
For a moment, half the alcohol seemed to evaporate from Ren Yi’s mind.
He didn’t even dare to breathe.