Chapter 32
The old mansion district had no parking spaces, so Du Chi parked the car in a nearby shopping mall’s underground parking lot. The distance from the mall to their home was only about one kilometer, but due to the traffic jam they experienced earlier, it was already past 7 PM. Now, if they were to go home, buy groceries, and cook, they wouldn’t know how long it would take.
Du Chi unbuckled his seatbelt and looked at Xiang Mo beside him, asking, “How about we eat upstairs?”
Xiang Mo didn’t necessarily want to go home to cook, so he agreed, saying, “Sure,” but then he remembered that it was the weekend. “Will there be a long queue?”
This shopping mall was located in the city’s most bustling area. Even on weekdays, it was always busy.
“No, there won’t be,” Du Chi said, “I made a reservation upstairs.”
“So, you didn’t cancel the reservation?” Xiang Mo was slightly surprised.
During the drive, whenever they stopped at a traffic light, Du Chi occasionally used his phone.
Xiang Mo had assumed that Du Chi had already informed the restaurant that they wouldn’t be coming. However, he hadn’t expected the restaurant to be so close to their home, and judging by the situation, the reservation time hadn’t passed yet; otherwise, the restaurant would have called to confirm the booking.
It seemed like a well-planned trap.
In any case, the restaurant and their home were in the same direction. Du Chi probably just wanted to get Xiang Mo into the car, and they could decide later whether or not to go to the restaurant.
Xiang Mo raised an eyebrow, “Did you already plan this?”
He knew he wasn’t going to cook, and Du Chi took advantage of the time in the car to trap him.
“How can you call it planning?” Du Chi casually said, “It’s just courting.”
Whether it was because he was feeling guilty or because he finally had the opportunity to confirm their relationship, after saying this, Du Chi leaned closer to Xiang Mo.
An empty parking lot was perfect for a kiss, and the faint scent of perfume made Xiang Mo somewhat intoxicated.
But he was exceptionally clear-headed at this moment. He used his palm to press against Du Chi’s lips, raising an eyebrow as he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me that Fang He’s art gallery belongs to your family?”
If it weren’t for the fact that this annoying dog was too aggressive, Xiang Mo would have almost forgotten to hold him accountable.
“VIP tickets? Hmm?” Xiang Mo’s eyes slightly chilled, “Is it fun to play tricks on me?”
Du Chi chuckled softly, taking Xiang Mo’s hand that covered his lips and holding it in his own, “Wife, I was wrong.”
He hadn’t heard this nickname in a few days, but it suddenly felt so soothing and comforting.
Xiang Mo’s tone softened, “So, you accidentally found out about my art exhibition?”
“Yes, I saw it on my dad’s friend’s WeChat Moments,” Du Chi said, “I found it interesting, so I went to see it.”
“Then you said I was a pornographic artist,” Xiang Mo frowned.
“I just happen to like pornographic artists,” Du Chi said nonchalantly, “I never thought it would be such a coincidence that you lived in the house I used to live in.”
“Then you—” Xiang Mo suddenly had a thought, remembering Du Chi mentioning moving out, “Why did you move out of your home?”
Since he could still go back to get his car, that meant the relationship with his family shouldn’t be too bad.
“I told you, my dad wanted me to take care of family matters, but I just want to focus on my own business,” Du Chi said.
That was something Du Chi had vaguely mentioned on the day Luo Yang had a breakup, during their conversation on the balcony. At that time, Xiang Mo hadn’t been very concerned about others’ family affairs, so he hadn’t thought much about it. But now, it seemed that he already knew quite a bit about Du Chi.
“And your dad didn’t confiscate your car?” Xiang Mo asked curiously.
“He did at first,” Du Chi said with a slightly amused tone, full of the implication of “funny enough,” “but my dad changed his attitude slightly after my font design won an award. He didn’t bother me anymore.”
In other words, Du Chi’s relationship with his family had somewhat improved. Xiang Mo thought to himself.
He would rather it hadn’t improved because…
Du Chi noticed Xiang Mo’s distraction and tilted his head slightly, looking into Xiang Mo’s eyes, “Wife, I won’t move out for now.”
It seemed that Du Chi could see through everything Xiang Mo was thinking.
But even if he was seen through, he couldn’t lose face. Xiang Mo said casually, “Whatever, I don’t care.”
“You’d better not care,” Du Chi said as he leaned forward to bite Xiang Mo’s lips, but he only managed to do it for a moment before Xiang Mo dodged.
“You still can’t kiss me,” the big dog frowned, looking entirely like he was protesting.
“Figure it out yourself,” Xiang Mo said as he got out of the car. He didn’t see Du Chi squinting his eyes slightly and muttering the word “fine.”
Du Chi’s reserved restaurant was a western-style restaurant with a pure black exterior wall and a silver sign, creating an understated luxurious texture. At a glance, it didn’t seem to belong to the same class as the other restaurants nearby.
Xiang Mo had passed by this restaurant before when he came to the mall to watch a movie, but upon seeing its decoration, he didn’t really want to go in, or perhaps he didn’t dare to go in. It wasn’t because he couldn’t afford it, but rather, he had no idea what to order.
Opening the menu, he couldn’t understand any of the dishes listed from top to bottom. However, the anticipated awkwardness didn’t occur because he felt safe sitting across from Du Chi.
In truth, money wasn’t a significant factor for Xiang Mo. He led a low-key life and didn’t have excessive material desires. Therefore, Du Chi’s family background didn’t affect him in any way.
But it couldn’t be denied that a good family background could broaden one’s horizons. Just like now, Du Chi chatting confidently with the sommelier had some charm that intrigued Xiang Mo.
Sommelier: “For the steak, you need a wine with high tannins to cut the greasiness. I recommend this one for you.”
Du Chi: “Is it a heavy barrel?”
Sommelier: “Of course. You really are professional. Malolactic fermentation suits wines aged in heavy barrels.”
Finally, Du Chi ordered a traditional Bordeaux blend, and they spent quite some time examining the wine bottle and the cork.
When the sommelier finally left, Xiang Mo couldn’t help but lower his head and smile, but it seemed like it wasn’t the right time to do so. Du Chi raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Xiang Mo raised his head, a faint smile still lingering on his lips, “I just find your opening the bottle quite amusing.”
“Opening the bottle?” Du Chi looked at the red wine bottle in confusion.
“Peacock’s tail feather,” Xiang Mo continued to smile, “So, dogs can also show off their feathers.”
Du Chi pursed his lips, and a slight displeasure appeared between his brows.
Afraid that the annoying dog would genuinely get upset, Xiang Mo suppressed his laughter and said half-jokingly, “You don’t need to emit your hormones like this; you are already charming enough.”
Although it sounded like a way to remedy the situation, it was actually Xiang Mo’s true thought.
He didn’t want to say it so straightforwardly, so he decided to tease the annoying dog first and suppress his emotions before expressing them.
Du Chi probably couldn’t tell if Xiang Mo’s words were entirely true or not, so he didn’t dwell on it anymore. He skillfully cut the steak on the plate and asked Xiang Mo, “Do you not like this style?”
“It’s not a matter of liking or disliking,” Xiang Mo said, “It depends on the person.”
Du Chi’s actions paused.
Xiang Mo deliberately spoke slowly, “In your case, I like it.”
The remedy was executed perfectly.
Earlier, Du Chi seemed somewhat unhappy with the term “opening the bottle,” but now his lips slightly curved up, and his tone became more cheerful, “I thought you liked this style.”
“Why?” Xiang Mo asked curiously. He didn’t recall expressing any thoughts on this matter, did he?
“Because your ex-boyfriend always wore suits,” Du Chi put the cut steak in front of Xiang Mo and exchanged it with the one that Xiang Mo hadn’t touched yet.
Suddenly, Xiang Mo thought of the day when Qian Kun appeared, and Du Chi’s indifferent attitude toward him.
He said, “You’re not interested in this topic, so I won’t bring it up.”
Du Chi said, “There are still some aspects that I find interesting.” He asked Xiang Mo why he liked Qian Kun.
Now it seemed that there were many signs from the very beginning.
Xiang Mo didn’t expect Du Chi to have such thoughts. The dimples on his cheeks appeared involuntarily.
“So, you secretly pondered my ex-boyfriend’s dressing style?”
“Is that not allowed?” Du Chi retorted.
“It is,” Xiang Mo thought, I’ll reward you later when we get back home.
On the way back home from the mall, the sky had already turned dark.
Normally, Xiang Mo wouldn’t be like this. When passing by Aunt Zhou’s flower shop in the hallway, his mood would be good enough to touch the roses at the door.
He couldn’t explain why he was so in high spirits, but he could still feel that this might be the nourishment of love.
When they arrived back at their courtyard, Xiang Mo didn’t stop and went straight to the second-floor kitchen.
The motion-sensitive lights in the hallway turned on as they heard their footsteps, faintly illuminating the outlines of objects in the kitchen.
Taking advantage of this dim environment, Xiang Mo turned around and hugged Du Chi’s neck, whispering, “Remember when you asked if we could do it in the kitchen?”
The implication was already quite clear. Xiang Mo had never been so bold before, and there was inevitably a hint of uneasiness in his tone.
He used his lips to brush against Du Chi’s jawline and came to his ear, suppressing the heat in his heart as he said, “Yes.”
In an instant, his waist was tightened, and Du Chi’s large hand grabbed his round hip. Without a word, Du Chi picked him up and placed him on the dining table, leaning in to approach his lips.
However, just as their lips were about to touch, Xiang Mo immediately dodged.
It wasn’t that he resisted kissing Du Chi; rather, he had told Du Chi to figure it out himself, and Du Chi obviously knew what that meant – to bring him to climax.
He thought that they had enough understanding between them to play this kind of little game.
He also thought that Du Chi would listen to him.
“Teacher Xiang,” Du Chi suddenly stepped back, and his eyes flashed with a hint of cunning in the faint light.
“Hmm?” Xiang Mo was slightly stunned by this distant title.
“I still have to take the dog for a walk,” Du Chi said solemnly.
Sanmao appeared at the kitchen door at some point and barked at the two of them.
“Aren’t you good at playing by yourself?” Du Chi said, referring to what Xiang Mo did on the bed that night when he went up to get a condom. “You can play by yourself first.”
After saying that, he spread Xiang Mo’s legs apart, casually rubbing the back of his neck, leaving a carefree figure, and walked away from the kitchen without any lingering.
Xiang Mo was left standing still. After a while, flames seemed to erupt from his eyes.
This annoying dog.
Xiang Mo gritted his teeth, thinking, let’s not be in a relationship with him anymore –
Xiang Mo: Cat claw, get ready.
