What is this person doing?
He’s flirting with himself again?! There’s clearly someone else inside.
Zhou Ziheng grabbed Xia Xiqing’s restless hand and asked, “What are you trying to do now?”
Xia Xiqing’s lazy gaze shifted to Zhou Ziheng’s grasped wrist, then glanced away to meet his eyes, speaking without emotion, “It hurts.”
Completely on instinct, Zhou Ziheng felt he had done something wrong and immediately let go of Xia Xiqing’s wrist. He opened his mouth, with the words “I’m sorry” on the tip of his tongue, but suddenly realized something.
That’s not right. It was this person who flirted with him first. Why should he apologize?
Xia Xiqing truly enjoyed provoking Zhou Ziheng to anger and then restraining him with a sense of morality. It was like a little tiger, cute and fierce, provoking him until he was furious, then trapping him in a delicate, beautiful cage, watching him rage inside without being able to act on it. There were only two possible outcomes: either he would be tamed, or he would be devoured.
Clearly, the confident and arrogant Xia Xiqing could only consider the former.
“Don’t you think we’re quite fated?” Xia Xiqing rubbed the wrist that Zhou Ziheng had just grabbed. “How did we end up being neighbors? Just so you know, I really didn’t know you lived here.“ Looking over Zhou Ziheng’s shoulder, Xia Xiqing glanced at his house. ”Do you live alone?”
Zhou Ziheng didn’t answer his question, taking a step to the left to block Xia Xiqing’s view.
It seemed he did live alone. Xia Xiqing smiled. “I live alone too.”
“So you can bring whoever you want back here?” Zhou Ziheng looked at him expressionlessly, his tone tinged with sarcasm.
“Look at how you’re talking. Do I need your permission to bring someone back?” Xia Xiqing continued to smile, but Zhou Ziheng was taken aback by his words and didn’t know what to say for a moment. He also found it strange that he was arguing with him here. Why was he so angry? He knew Xia Xiqing’s true colors better than anyone else and should have been used to it by now. What did Xia Xiqing’s promiscuity have to do with him?
There was no reason to interfere with his private life.
Seeing that Zhou Ziheng wasn’t speaking, Xia Xiqing continued, “So… if you hear any sounds you shouldn’t, don’t be surprised.” He tucked the stray strands of hair from his cheeks behind his ears. “But this is such an expensive house; the soundproofing should be pretty good.”
Zhou Ziheng felt even more suffocated and uncomfortable. He frowned and said, “If I hear anything, I’ll move out immediately.”
“Where will you move?” Xia Xiqing raised his eyebrows at him, his voice softening, a smile on his face. “Move into my house.”
Shameful.
Zhou Ziheng’s face once again showed disgust. Suddenly, he noticed the door behind Xia Xiqing open slightly, with a head peeking through the crack—clearly the same child who had just gone inside. His brows furrowed even deeper as he reached into his coat pocket for a mask, preparing to turn and leave.
After finishing dinner, he called Xiao Luo and asked him to call a moving company. They would move today, even if it meant moving through the night.
But as soon as he took a step, he felt someone hug him from behind, holding him tightly so he couldn’t move. Zhou Ziheng turned around in confusion and saw it was the same child in the dark green school uniform.
“What are you doing?”
Xia Xiuze lifted his head, smiling up at Zhou Ziheng. “Um, Ziheng Brother! I really like you! I’m your biggest fan! Don’t leave—sign my autograph book!”
What the hell?
Not only Zhou Ziheng, but Xia Xiqing also couldn’t figure out why this guy suddenly butted in.
“No… let go of me first.” Zhou Ziheng struggled to pry Xia Xiuze’s hands off him, afraid that he might hurt him if he used too much force. “Let go of me!”
“No! What are you going to do, Ziheng?”
This kid, calling him “Ziheng Brother” so smoothly. Xia Xiqing rolled her eyes, walked over, and grabbed Xia Xiuze’s arm. “What’s gotten into you?”
Even with his own brother intervening, Xia Xiuze still refused to let go of Zhou Ziheng, clinging to him. “Just tell me.”
“I’m going to eat. I’m going to eat.” Zhou Ziheng maintained the last shred of dignity befitting a celebrity. “Can you let go of me now?”
Xia Xiqing’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Really? Come to my house to eat! My brother is about to cook!”
Brother???
Zhou Ziheng looked at Xia Xiqing in confusion. Xia Xiqing kicked Xia Xiuze’s leg, “Who the hell said I was going to cook?” You’re pretty clever, selling your brother like that.
“Ouch.” Xia Xiuze showed a look of grievance on his face, turned his butt around and hid behind Zhou Ziheng, but his arms were still tightly wrapped around Zhou Ziheng’s waist. Seeing that Xia Xiqing was about to move, Zhou Ziheng couldn’t help but instinctively block Xia Xiuze, “Don’t move.”
What the hell is going on here? Xia Xiqing was puzzled. “What does it matter to you if I hit my brother?”
“He really is your brother…” Zhou Ziheng muttered to himself, turning to look at the timid boy behind him. To be honest, their eyebrows and eyes did look quite similar. Zhou Ziheng felt much better. The tension he had been holding onto seemed to suddenly dissipate.
The anger had subsided, but a sense of guilt welled up in his heart. Earlier, he had rashly assumed that this child was his younger brother’s lover, based entirely on prejudice and misunderstanding. Zhou Ziheng looked at Xia Xiqing, his brows slightly furrowed, looking displeased.
“Ziheng Brother, come to my house for dinner.” Xia Xiuze took the opportunity to start meddling again.
“Xia Xiuze, what are you meddling in? Are you itching for a beating?”
“Don’t touch him, don’t touch him. We’re all family.” Zhou Ziheng stepped in front of them like a hawk protecting its chicks, helplessly trying to mediate.
“Who’s family with whom? Are you family with me?” Xia Xiqing raised his eyebrows, his face completely devoid of a smile, his malicious nature fully exposed. He didn’t bother to waste words with the two of them. “Fine, Xia Xiuze, let’s see what tricks you’re trying to pull here.” He turned around, kicked the door open with one foot, and walked inside.
Seeing his brother go in, Xia Xiuze let go of Zhou Ziheng, clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture, and said, “Ziheng Brother, I really like you so much. The roles you played as Yang Wei and Feng Ziming—I love them both.” As he spoke, he silently repeated to himself, “Please don’t mess this up,” having just asked a female classmate for information earlier.
Zhou Ziheng stared at the young man in front of him, wondering if he was really a fan. Then he thought, since Xia Xiqing himself was a well-known artist in the fan circle, it made sense for his younger brother to be a fan.
And so, the innocent and kind-hearted superstar Zhou Ziheng was lured by a little “fake” fan’s sweet talk and flattery into the den of another big “fake” fan.
Sitting on the big sofa in Xia Xiqing’s living room, Zhou Ziheng felt something was off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Xia Xiuze sat next to him with a playful smile and asked him a barrage of questions, as if conducting a household survey.
“Ziheng, do you have an older brother? How many people are in your family?”
“What does your brother do? What about your father?”
“What about your mother? Do your parents get along well?”
“How often do you go home?”
“How many relationships have you had?”
“You…” Xia Xiuze was about to continue asking questions when the collar at the back of his neck was suddenly pulled up. He turned around to see his own brother, who was smiling but not genuinely.
“Get over here.”
“Oh.” Xia Xiuze pouted, then scrambled off the sofa, gave Zhou Ziheng a sheepish smile, and followed Xia Xiqing into the kitchen.
“Speak up.” Xia Xiqing bent over, searching through the brand-new cabinets. After rummaging for a while, he only found a small saucepan and a spatula. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” Xia Xiuze rubbed his palms together like a little fly, then squatted down beside his brother, cleared his throat, and spoke cautiously, “Um… Brother, I feel like you… you seem to like Brother Ziheng, so I wanted to ask around for you…” Before he could finish, Xia Xiqing smacked him on the forehead with the spatula. “Who told you I like him?”
Xia Xiuze rubbed his head in frustration. “But… I really think… Brother, you’ve drawn so many portraits of him, and just now when he misunderstood you, you didn’t get angry…”
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Xia Xiqing snort coldly and stand up.
“It’s precisely because I don’t like him that I don’t bother explaining.”
“Then why are you afraid of me getting involved?” Xia Xiuze also stood up. “If you don’t like him, it doesn’t matter if I mess things up.”
It was true… Xia Xiqing couldn’t refute the little fool’s words for a moment. He glared at him angrily, grabbed Xia Xiuze’s school uniform collar, and said, “Stay out of my business. I will never like him.”
Xia Xiuze chuckled twice, immediately adopting a pleading expression, prying open his older brother’s fingers one by one, “I understand, I won’t interfere, I won’t interfere.” After saying that, he dragged his backpack strap and slowly moved toward the kitchen door. Just as he was about to leave the kitchen, he whispered, “Don’t set yourself up for failure, brother.”
Then he fled quickly, driven by his instinct for survival.
Lately, I’ve been too lenient with him. If you don’t discipline him for three days, he’ll climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles, Xia Xiqing muttered under his breath, kicking the cabinet door with his foot.
Zhou Ziheng, sitting alone on the sofa, felt awkward and bored, so he could only turn his head to look around the house. This floor only had two households, one occupying the eastern half and the other the western half, with basically the same layout. However, Xia Xiqing, who had an art background, was clearly different. The interior decoration of his home was filled with his personal style, with a black-and-white color scheme mixed with a few red color blocks, an incomplete sense of coolness and a fragmented passion.
“Ziheng Brother…”
Xia Xiuze’s voice suddenly came out, startling Zhou Ziheng. He turned around to see him lying on one end of the sofa, his eyes fixed on him, wearing a cute smile.
To be honest, Xia Xiuze’s smile was almost identical to Xia Xiqing’s, and Zhou Ziheng almost superimposed their faces.
If Xia Xiqing were to smile at him like that and call him…
“Ziheng Brother?”
The strange fantasy that popped into his mind was quickly dispelled by Zhou Ziheng’s rationality. He looked at Xia Xiuze nervously, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Xia Xiuze knelt on the carpet, slowly crawling toward Zhou Ziheng, smiling up at him, “I just wanted to ask you, can you cook?”
By the time Zhou Ziheng reached the kitchen, Xia Xiqing was standing in front of the induction stove holding a phone. Before he even entered the kitchen, Zhou Ziheng caught a whiff of a burnt smell. He immediately stepped forward and turned off the stove.
“What are you doing?”
“Are you trying to poison us?” Zhou Ziheng glanced at the black, unidentifiable substance in the pan. “What is this?”
“It’s scrambled eggs,” Xia Xiqing said matter-of-factly, following Zhou Ziheng’s gaze toward the pan. “Can’t you tell?”
Zhou Ziheng sighed, rolled up his sleeves, picked up the frying pan, and dumped the “fried eggs” into the trash can. He washed the pan and said, “I’ll do it. I don’t want to end up on the front page of the news for food poisoning.”
“I think you just don’t want anyone to find out something happened at my place.” Xia Xiqing shrugged, leaning back against the counter with a smile, removing his apron and tossing it aside. His fingers tapped lightly on the marble countertop. “Ugh, getting involved with someone like me…”
His trailing voice was as usual, drawn out and light, like flirting, habitually teasing himself without caring.
“I’m sorry.”
Xia Xiqing froze, even stopping the movement of his fingers.
Zhou Ziheng poured oil into the pan while speaking to himself, “I was wrong earlier. I apologize to you. I shouldn’t have looked at you through tinted glasses, judging everything you do with preconceived biases. That was irrational and unfair.” He held an egg in one hand and cracked it against the edge of the pan. The sizzling sound of the fried egg made the kitchen even more silent. Zhou Ziheng was also anxious inside. He didn’t know if his apology was sincere, nor did he know what Xia Xiqing was thinking during her silence.
“I…” / “Why are you apologizing?”
Both of them spoke at the same time, then awkwardly fell silent.
“I just wanted to apologize,” Zhou Ziheng placed the fried egg on a plate, “Misunderstanding you was my fault. When you’re wrong, you should apologize. I won’t slander you without evidence in the future.”
“Evidence?” Xia Xiqing suddenly laughed, “What, are you still hoping for a day when you catch me in the act?”
Zhou Ziheng choked on his words. His meaning had once again been misinterpreted by Xia Xiqing. Just as he was thinking of the right words to explain, Xia Xiqing spoke again, his tone cold, “You don’t need to apologize. I am the kind of person you described. This was an accident, not the norm.”
Xia Xiqing was someone who liked to carefully weigh his words, after all, lies and deceptions required time to construct. But these words had almost slipped out before his brain had processed them, after he had heard Zhou Ziheng’s apology.
Care and apology were things he had never felt before, making him vulnerable, out of control, and off course. Yet Zhou Ziheng was filled with these things, as if he were the natural enemy who held all his weaknesses in his hands.
He turned around and carefully washed his fingers. “Don’t think you understand me. In fact, what you call ‘slander’ is my norm.” This scene reminded Zhou Ziheng of the cleanup routine of a murderer in a movie after the crime.
Xia Xiqing spoke each word softly and slowly, his hands never stopping their movements. The cold water flowed through his fingers. “I enjoy pursuing others. Witnessing someone give their heart to me brings me great satisfaction. But once I have it, I grow bored and find ways to leave, and I don’t want to take that heart with me—it’s too cumbersome.” He withdrew his hand, and the flowing droplets suddenly stopped. Xia Xiqing pulled one sheet after another of kitchen paper from the countertop, wiping his fingers covered in droplets. “So you’re right. I am scum.”
She crumpled the damp paper into a ball and tossed it into the trash can. Xia Xiqing leaned her hands on the countertop, tilted her head, and nuzzled Zhou Ziheng’s shoulder. The gesture was as intimate as a lover completing a kiss on the cheek.
Those lazy eyes fixed on Zhou Ziheng’s profile, and she spoke softly, as if in a dream, “Are you afraid?”
Zhou Ziheng didn’t understand why Xia Xiqing was being so direct about everything. Given his personality, the best strategy would be to deceive for as long as possible, like a peacock spreading its feathers to attract you with the most gentlemanly and gentle side, luring you in until you willingly fall into the trap.
To be honest, not only did Zhou Ziheng not understand, but Xia Xiqing didn’t understand either.
He felt that the current version of himself was unfamiliar, uncool, and unmasked, as if he had torn off his mask in a moment of panic, exposing a bloodied face to the other person.
Among all the prey he had encountered, Zhou Ziheng was the most special one. From the very beginning, he had directly seen all the hidden flaws in himself, and all his pretenses had become ineffective in front of him. and now even the lie of “liking” him was exposed by him, clearly revealing his most corrupt and ugly parts before him, like a bizarre artwork to be admired and judged.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Zhou Ziheng became the prey Xia Xiqing most desired in his heart.
To date, the target he most wanted to hunt down in one fell swoop.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Ziheng, who had been quietly cooking, suddenly turned his face sideways, his gaze fixed on Xia Xiqing’s beautiful yet frivolous eyes from an extremely close distance. His face, with its distinct contours like a natural sculpture, showed no expression, a rare consistency between his inner and outer self.
“What am I afraid of?”
Just like last time in the secret room, Zhou Ziheng’s voice sounded like the bells of a cathedral, each toll striking against his heart valves.
“Am I afraid of you pursuing me, or afraid of giving my heart to you?”
In that moment, Xia Xiqing felt his blood rush upward.
“If the only choices you give me are these two,” Zhou Ziheng’s lips curled slightly, “I fear neither.”
Xia Xiqing pondered Zhou Ziheng’s implied meaning. Neither. Not afraid of the former, because he disdains his own pursuit; not afraid of the latter, because he is certain he will never be moved.
He extended his finger and gently brushed Zhou Ziheng’s chin. Before the other could react, he raised his eyebrows with a smile, his eyes brimming with unabashed ambiguity.
Author’s Note: Xia Xiqing has an avoidant attachment style. Attachment styles are often shaped by childhood experiences, and the avoidant type is a particularly unique category. Common manifestations include a fear of intimacy, an aversion to forming and maintaining close relationships, and a tendency to maintain a false sense of independence while suppressing one’s own needs and desires for intimacy.
Xia Xiqing is a particularly unique type of avoidant attachment personality, specifically the “addicted to romance” type. Such individuals actively seek out intimate relationships, but once established, they quickly become cold and indifferent, going to great lengths to distance themselves. At its core, this stems from a lack of belief that anyone could love them, leading them to constantly seek out relationships, only to fail repeatedly, deepening their lack of self-confidence, and then try again, trapped in a vicious cycle from which they cannot escape.
