Crunch crunch crunch. Ti Xiao was happily munching on a rice cracker when the living room light suddenly turned on.
His heart skipped a beat. Why was Xiao Yao awake at this hour? That shouldn’t be—he clearly had been sleeping deeply just moments ago.
Feeling the sharp gaze burning into his back, Ti Xiao turned around, still with half a rice cracker hanging out of his mouth, looking utterly ridiculous.
Caught red-handed.
But he couldn’t laugh it off. Xiao Yao’s face was as dark as a Siamese cat’s, standing just a couple of steps behind him, holding the light switch, staring him down.
At a time like this, Ti Xiao somehow got a sudden burst of courage and mumbled, “Hey, what a coincidence.”
The rice cracker didn’t even fall out.
Coincidence my ass…
If there was even a slim chance before, it was completely gone now—he was definitely doomed.
“Coincidence,” Xiao Yao replied flatly, expressionless.
Ti Xiao took another crunch bite, chewing noisily and swallowing.
Xiao Yao walked over, snatched the rice cracker from his mouth, took the Wahaha drink from his hand and set it on the coffee table. Then, wordlessly, he cleaned up the mess on the floor, putting the snacks back into the cabinet and tossing the wrappers into the trash.
Not a single word spoken.
The silence grew heavier and heavier. The more panicked Ti Xiao got, the more like a child caught doing something wrong he felt.
Hamster Xiao was close to losing his dreams and turning into a little dumpling.
After tidying the mess, Xiao Yao pressed Ti Xiao to brush his teeth, then dragged him back to the bedroom, ready to punish him.
Ti Xiao lay across Xiao Yao’s lap, utterly bewildered.
He was actually going to spank me???
He almost cried in frustration.
Spank me on my butt!
This was worse than the time he got caught secretly reading manga.
Though the spanking wasn’t hard, Ti Xiao still felt his fragile little hamster heart was bruised by the long-legged, dark-faced Siamese.
Most couples only playfully spank each other during flirting, but he was actually getting spanked—several times.
“Are you done eating now?” Xiao Yao asked in a low voice.
Even without seeing his face, Ti Xiao could imagine that dark expression.
Usually, Xiao Yao was patient and never got mad at him. But it was always the quiet, gentle ones who got really scary when they did get angry.
“Ah, no more, no more,” Ti Xiao said, shaking his head rapidly like a rattle.
“I swear, I won’t eat anymore.” He twisted his head to the side, hoping Xiao Yao could see the sincerity in his eyes.
Xiao Yao showed no emotion on his face, but the intense pressure was suffocating. His hand still rested on Ti Xiao’s butt, ready to spank again at any moment.
“Say it again. This time, include your name,” Xiao Yao said.
“I—I—I, Ti Xiao, swear I won’t sneak snacks again. No, I mean, I won’t eat snacks anymore,” Ti Xiao said nervously, holding up three fingers to the ceiling.
“What if you sneak snacks again?” Xiao Yao asked coldly.
“If I do, then I—I…” Ti Xiao stammered, struggling to finish the sentence.
“You what?” Xiao Yao’s voice went even colder. His hand rose.
“I’ll—I’ll… do it ten times a week!” In a panic, Ti Xiao blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
Right after, he regretted it. Ten times a week? That would kill him. Even the strongest kidneys would be shot.
Xiao Yao seemed satisfied with the answer, giving a knowing repeat, “Mm, ten times.”
I—I was joking!
But seeing Xiao Yao’s still-dark face, Ti Xiao didn’t dare argue. He stayed silent like a well-behaved chicken.
After turning off the bedroom light, the two didn’t speak anymore. The room was very quiet, with only the sounds of breathing and fabric shifting.
Ti Xiao’s eyes widened as he vaguely saw Xiao Yao turn over and then pull him into a hug.
“I’m not forbidding you from eating,” Xiao Yao sighed, kissing his forehead. “Once you’re fully healed, I’ll definitely let you eat.”
Ti Xiao said nothing.
“Do you know how worried I was last time your stomach hurt? Your health is the most important thing,” Xiao Yao tightened his arms around him. Ti Xiao’s cheek rested against his neck, feeling the warmth of his breath.
Still, Ti Xiao didn’t say a word.
Words wouldn’t come out, his chest felt tight and heavy. All the little grievances from before had been completely overtaken by the gentle warmth of Xiao Yao’s affection.
“Go to sleep,” Xiao Yao kissed him again. “Tomorrow morning, it’s still porridge.”
Even as Xiao Yao was nearly asleep, Ti Xiao still couldn’t say a single word. The only thing he could do was reach out his hand and hold tight to the person who loved him, and whom he loved back.
“Good night,” Ti Xiao whispered.
“Good night,” Xiao Yao murmured back, half asleep.
A few more days passed. Probably out of guilt, Ti Xiao behaved obediently during this time. When Xiao Yao said one thing, it was absolutely not another. If he said go east, Ti Xiao wouldn’t dare go west.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were still porridge. Compared to before, it was much better—at least the porridge came in different varieties now.
Still no meat.
“Meat’s still a bit greasy. I’m worried you haven’t fully recovered,” Xiao Yao said, biting into a piece of grilled chicken breast as he spoke to Ti Xiao.
Ti Xiao looked longingly at the chicken cutlet and muttered softly, “You eat it all yourself and don’t give me any.”
The next day, Saturday morning, after returning from his morning run, Xiao Yao cooked tomato and egg noodles for Ti Xiao. It was still pretty plain, but at least it had some oil in it now. The egg barely counted as meat, but it was something.
“You eat first. I’m going to put away the laundry,” Xiao Yao said as he took off his shirt and turned on the morning news on TV. “Eat slowly.”
Ti Xiao nodded like a little chick pecking at rice, I’m being good, you go take care of the laundry.
After watching Xiao Yao head to the balcony, Ti Xiao quietly slipped into the kitchen.
There were quite a few clothes hanging from yesterday’s wash, filling the entire balcony. Ti Xiao knew Xiao Yao had a bit of a perfectionist streak — the clothes had to be folded neatly on the balcony before being taken into the bedroom and put in the closet. The TV sound was loud enough to cover up—
That gave him enough time to fry a piece of chicken cutlet.
The chicken breast had very little fat, so Ti Xiao poured a little olive oil into the same pan that had just been used to fry eggs, and sprinkled a generous amount of salt and black pepper for seasoning. The moment the meat touched the hot pan, the intense heat released an incredible aroma that stimulated his senses. Ti Xiao greedily leaned in close to sniff it.
Xiao Yao was still folding clothes on the balcony, completely unaware of Ti Xiao’s little operation.
Ti Xiao wolfed down the long-awaited meat and let out a satisfied burp.
Sure enough, there was no joy without meat.
After finishing the chicken cutlet, Xiao Yao came out from the balcony holding some clothes. Ti Xiao pretended like nothing had happened, slurping noodles while watching TV.
Xiao Yao glanced at him, then headed into the kitchen. That’s when Ti Xiao caught the smell of meat.
Well, well, Xiao Yao — sneaking meat all to yourself and not sharing a bite.
He felt seriously slighted.
When Xiao Yao came out again, he was carrying a plate with two pieces of grilled chicken breast and handed one to Ti Xiao.
Ti Xiao froze for a moment.
“Not eating?” Xiao Yao asked with a smile.
“I’m going to…” Ti Xiao lowered his head, picked at the chicken with his chopsticks a few times but didn’t take a bite.
He just couldn’t eat anymore.
Guilt crept up again, and Ti Xiao felt like a hopelessly stubborn kid who just wouldn’t learn.
“What do you want for lunch?” Xiao Yao finally expanded the question from porridge to actual rice.
The weather was slowly starting to show signs of heat. It was still too early for air conditioning or fans, so Xiao Yao, having just finished his morning run, took off his shirt and ate with his bare chest exposed.
Ti Xiao stole glances at him between noodles. Compared to before, maybe because of all the effort on his waist lately, Xiao Yao’s eight-pack looked even more defined, with sharp muscle lines running across his torso and waist.
His tanned forearms were also beautifully toned as he held the chopsticks.
And that was just the tip of the iceberg — a classic case of looking slim in clothes but muscular underneath.
Ti Xiao looked over at Xiao Yao again, then at his own skinny arms and legs.
He suddenly remembered a long time ago, back in winter during hot pot nights, when Xiao Yao had asked if he wanted to run or work out together. Although spring had brought some vigorous exercise, they hadn’t seriously started working out until almost the beginning of summer.
“You still go to the gym?” Ti Xiao put down his chopsticks and asked.
“Nope,” Xiao Yao replied, confused. “I spend weekends at home with you, no time to go.”
“So you only run in the mornings?” Ti Xiao asked.
Xiao Yao nodded. “What’s up?”
Ti Xiao thought it over, considering all the right timing and conditions, and especially his own fragile health, before finally saying, “Let’s sign up for a gym this afternoon. I want to work out, maybe run or something.”
Xiao Yao raised an eyebrow and teased, “What, did the sun rise in the west, Xiao Xiao?”
“Shut up,” Ti Xiao muttered, looking down at his noodles. “We’ll go right after dinner.”
When they arrived at the gym entrance, it was the same guy from last time handling memberships. He brightened as soon as he saw them and immediately started trying to upsell.
But with Xiao Yao there, it didn’t work. They only signed up for the basic six-month membership, no trainer included.
The gym membership card was pretty high-end—black with a silver pattern printed on it. Ti Xiao held the card in his hand, feeling a little excited inside.
“Don’t give up halfway,” Xiao Yao reminded him, knowing Ti Xiao’s little weaknesses.
“I know,” Ti Xiao said as he stepped onto the treadmill. “Come adjust this for me, how does it work?”
The gym was full of equipment, but Ti Xiao only recognized the treadmill.
Xiao Yao pressed a few buttons, and after a few beeps, the treadmill belt slowly started moving—not too fast. “Start by walking briskly at this speed to get used to it, then you can start running.”
After all, with Ti Xiao’s couch-potato tendencies, starting out running might be a death sentence.
Ti Xiao walked while Xiao Yao started running nearby, his steps steady and sure. He occasionally wiped sweat from his forehead, running steadily for fifteen or twenty minutes without much panting.
Ti Xiao, by comparison, was already struggling after just a short while.
“Want to take a break?” Xiao Yao asked, finishing his thirty-minute run and stopping to drink water.
“Yeah… a little rest,” Ti Xiao said, having briskly walked for about thirty minutes straight. His legs felt like jelly.
Seeing this, Xiao Yao quickly paused the treadmill and handed him a bottle of water.
Behind them, a group of pretty young women came in to work out together. Upon seeing Xiao Yao, they gasped in surprise, and a bolder one even whistled flirtatiously.
Xiao Yao, having seen this kind of thing all his life, barely cared—he didn’t even glance their way, eyes fixed firmly on Ti Xiao.
But Ti Xiao felt very different. A strong sense of danger rose up inside him, wishing he could instantly grow ten inches taller and sprout sixteen-pack abs.
When one of the girls pulled out her phone and started walking over to ask for Xiao Yao’s WeChat, Ti Xiao suddenly reached out to him, “Give me your water bottle.”
Xiao Yao had just taken a sip and replied, “But didn’t I give you one already?”
“I want yours,” Ti Xiao said stubbornly.
Xiao Yao couldn’t argue, so he obediently handed over his bottle.
In front of those girls, Ti Xiao took a sip from the spot where Xiao Yao had just drunk and glanced over at them.
See that? This is my boyfriend.
Unexpectedly, this little move made the girls gasp even more excitedly than before, their smiles full of knowing “hehehe” tones.
World peace, world peace… hehe.
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