Chapter 100
At the restaurant, Su Bin saw Jin Fei and was mocked by him, pointing at his eyes: “Really? You cried again after going back last night?”
Of course, Su Bin wasn’t crying over Huang Zhengling’s matter, but he definitely couldn’t say the real reason he cried. He could only vaguely respond, “Uh yeah, after all, we’re like brothers.”
Jin Fei sneered, “I knew you were soft-hearted, hesitating all the time, you won’t achieve anything.”
Su Bin: “…”
Jin Fei nodded again, “But that fight last night was intense, I admire that.”
Su Bin remained silent. What fight was he talking about? It was basically a one-on-one match between men. He had no idea what Huang Zhengling was thinking. So frustrating! Well… he should just let the past go.
Su Bin had been through a tough night and had no appetite. He only ate a small portion of rice and had a bowl of seaweed soup.
“I’m going to open my own restaurant in the future, and the food definitely won’t be so greasy. Otherwise, people will get tired of it after eating for a while… I’ll stick to simple home-style dishes.” Su Bin sighed.
Jin Fei said, “So, your future plan is to serve light home-style dishes?”
Su Bin rubbed his chin, “I haven’t decided yet, but I definitely won’t make the common Cantonese and Sichuan dishes from M country. It seems like those two types are most common in B country, and I don’t feel a connection.”
Jin Fei laughed, “Among the Chinese community, Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines are quite popular!”
Su Bin responded, “Give them a bottle of Lao Gan Ma and garlic sauce, let them add it themselves~”
Jin Fei chuckled, “Haha… by the way, have you thought of a name for the restaurant?”
Su Bin said, “I’ve thought of a few: ‘Su-style Kitchen’ or ‘Delicious Cafeteria’.”
Jin Fei said, “Those are so plain! Can’t you come up with something more impressive, like ‘B Country’s Top Chinese Restaurant’, ‘Absolutely Delicious Restaurant’, ‘Invincible Student Cafeteria’, ‘Unbeatable East and West’, and so on…”
Su Bin’s eye twitched, “What’s ‘Unbeatable East and West’? Is that based on ‘Dongfang Bubai’?”
Jin Fei said, “Yeah, isn’t it imposing?”
Su Bin exclaimed, “No way! People will say the owner lacks creativity with a name like that! (Dongfang Bubai was a eunuch)”
Jin Fei laughed, “Haha, that’s even more fun! Anyway, if I see a restaurant with that name, I’ll definitely walk in.”
Su Bin shook his head like a rattle drum. This time, he must come up with a name that won’t be ridiculed!
After the meal, they packed their bags and got ready to take a taxi to the airport.
Su Bin noticed that Lina was missing and asked Jin Fei, “Where’s Lina? Isn’t she coming to play?”
Jin Fei put on sunglasses and said sadly, “We broke up.”
Su Bin almost spat out the seaweed soup he had for dinner, “No way, so soon? A few days ago, you two were all lovey-dovey at Sansheng Hall!”
Jin Fei shrugged, “What can I do? She can’t come with me to B country, we were bound to break up sooner or later.”
Su Bin kicked Jin Fei, “How can you be like this, you heartbreaker!”
Jin Fei swiftly dodged, “How am I a heartbreaker? Lina is happy too. She told me to find her again next time I come to Hangzhou.”
Su Bin, deeply rooted in traditional values, couldn’t understand Jin Fei’s perspective. Can’t emotions develop even if it’s a short relationship? At least he felt that he had grown closer to Allen through their intimate interactions so many times.
Now, he couldn’t even imagine interacting with other women, let alone men. He felt like he had chosen one person, and that person was Allen. Of course, that’s assuming Allen wouldn’t abandon him.
At the airport, Allen temporarily returned Su Bin’s ID. Su Bin touched his ID card with a sense of cherish. It felt like having it in his hand made him truly feel like an “independent person.”
Allen said, “Give it to me after boarding.”
Su Bin replied, “Oh…”
Allen asked, “What’s wrong? Reluctant?”
Su Bin said, “No!”
After getting their boarding passes, Su Bin asked Allen for money, “I want to buy some local specialties for Cheng Ge (Honest Brother).”
Allen asked, “What do you want to buy? Decide and then find me.”
Su Bin’s plan to save some personal money failed. He felt a bit downcast. He went to the airport gift shop and chose a bag of Longjing tea and a bag of lotus root powder. Then, he gestured with his eyes for Allen to pay. Allen walked over slowly, “Just these two?”
Su Bin said, “Aren’t you buying anything?”
Allen said, “I thought you were picking for me. Don’t forget, we’re in this together.”
Su Bin suddenly felt a sense of responsibility and quickly switched the regular Longjing tea for the premium version, and added another bag of lotus root powder.
Allen went to pay, and Su Bin followed him and asked, “Won’t it seem kind of unimpressive?”
Allen smiled at him, “It’s the thought that counts.”
Next to the gift shop was a dessert store. Outside the glass display stood a seven or eight-year-old girl, staring at the macarons on sale inside. She looked at them for a long time, then suddenly turned to the middle-aged man standing nearby, with an eager look on her face, “Daddy, I want to eat this.”
The man walked over, taking out his wallet as he said, “Which one? Go get it yourself and give it to the waiter, Daddy will buy it for you.”
Su Bin: “…” Suddenly, he felt like he was somehow similar to that little girl.
Allen leaned close to his ear with a smile, “Do you want to eat too? Which one? I’ll treat you.”
Su Bin stammered, “I don’t want to eat!”
—Ah ah ah! This is too much! I must save some personal money! QAQ
Holding the tea and lotus root powder, Su Bin suddenly looked at Allen, “I just thought of something. I don’t have my own money now, so I can’t buy you gifts anymore, right?”
Allen was taken aback and asked with a smile, “What kind of gifts do you want to buy for me?”
Su Bin lowered his head and mumbled, “Like for your birthday, special occasions… well, saying it out loud would ruin the surprise!”
Allen said, “Well, for me, you are the gift.”
Su Bin looked up, “Huh? What do you mean?”
Allen looked at him with interest, a hint of teasing in his eyes, “Remember, whenever you want to give a gift, just make sure you’re clean, and then ask me to eat you. I’ll be very happy.”
Su Bin: “…”
o////o His plan failed… and it feels like he’s being flirted with? Oh no~
After boarding the plane, Su Bin realized that Allen had bought first-class tickets.
Since it was a short flight of about two hours, the first-class seats were just a bit more spacious than economy, with no major differences. However, Su Bin had traveled domestically before and knew that first-class tickets were usually two to three times the price of economy. Looking at it this way, the value for money seemed really low.
“This extravagant guy!” Su Bin thought, but still curiously looked around, and then, under Allen’s gaze, obediently handed his ID back.
As the plane took off from Hangzhou, Su Bin felt a wave of sentimental sadness in his heart. He silently repeated, “Goodbye, my hometown,” not knowing when he would return, feeling like following Allen meant losing his freedom.
Two hours passed with a nap, and when the plane touched down, Su Bin opened his eyes in the moment of landing, asking, “Are we there?”
Allen leaned over to kiss him, “We’re here, feeling tired?”
Worried about being seen by the flight attendants, Su Bin quickly straightened his neck and stood up as the plane came to a stop. Just as he was about to get up and walk out, he saw passengers from the rear of the cabin rushing towards the cabin door.
“Please step back, economy class passengers, please step back!” A beautiful flight attendant, polite yet assertive, redirected them, “Let the first-class passengers disembark first!”
Tears streamed down Su Bin’s face. So it turned out that the triple price was for this statement…?
A driver from Jin Fei’s family came to pick them up. After an hour’s drive, they arrived at some sort of villa. The surrounding area was filled with standalone villas, but in the dark of the night, it was hard to see clearly. It wasn’t until Su Bin got out of the car and saw the European-style gate in front of him that he felt a bit impressed.
They passed through a garden and another gate, winding around until they reached the living room. Su Bin was a bit dazzled by the grandeur.
Jin Fei greeted an older woman who seemed like a housekeeper and introduced her to Su Bin and Allen, “This is my family’s housekeeper, Ms. Song. She practically manages everything. If you two need anything in the next two days, you can find her. You’ll be staying in the guest rooms on the third floor, two rooms?”
Afraid that Jin Fei would misunderstand, Su Bin was about to agree, but Allen quickly spoke up, “One room is enough.”
Jin Fei just said, “Oh,” without showing any unusual expression, then instructed the housekeeper, “The larger room closer to the inside on the third floor, I’ll call Li Jie this afternoon to change the bedding and sheets. Are they all changed?”
“They’ve all been changed to new ones,” the housekeeper said, then asked if they were hungry and wanted some late-night snacks.
Jin Fei said, “Three bowls of dan dan noodles!”
Jin Fei entertained them to sit in the living room while he had a somewhat portly man take their luggage back to their rooms before coming over to chat with them.
“Your house is so big!” Su Bin looked up at the painted ceiling, feeling a sense of grandeur, “How many floors are there upstairs?”
Jin Fei said, “Four floors, there’s even a garden on the roof. We can have a barbecue there tomorrow… It’s not that big, just make do with it.”
Su Bin said, “It’s not big? But this is in Beijing!”
Jin Fei glanced at him and chuckled, “It’s not like it’s the Zhongnanhai. There are plenty of wealthy people in Beijing.”
Su Bin replied, “At least in my eyes, it’s already quite impressive… Compared to you, I’m just a country bumpkin.”
Jin Fei said, “You’re not a bumpkin. You just need to remove the ‘bumpkin’ part and keep the stick.”
Su Bin retorted, “What the hell? You’re only two years older than me!”
Jin Fei laughed, “Hahaha…”
Allen couldn’t quite understand their banter in Chinese, but seeing Su Bin’s rich expressions satisfied him. Unconsciously, he reached out and pulled Su Bin’s waist close. Su Bin, also unaware, leaned against Allen’s body.
Jin Fei was once again blinded by this scene. He silently complained in his heart – can’t you two behave when you’re in my house?
Allen smiled at Jin Fei and asked, “Are your parents at home?”
Jin Fei said, “My dad’s on a business trip. My mom is either playing mahjong or at the beauty salon. She’s probably going to be back soon…”
And as if on cue, Jin Fei’s mother entered the house, exclaiming, “Oh my, Fei Fei, you have guests!” She looked at Su Bin and Allen, hospitable and warm, and expressed her excitement at having guests over. She even offered to show them around the city and cook for them, saying that if they wanted anything, they could tell Ms. Song and she would make it for them.
Jin Fei pushed his mother upstairs, saying, “Okay, okay, I know. Don’t bother us!”
Jin Fei’s mother tugged on Jin Fei’s arm with a smile and whispered something, causing Jin Fei to mutter, “Are you my real mother or did I come with a prepaid mobile plan?”
“Hehe, enjoy your time. Don’t be shy. I’ll go rest upstairs first,” Jin Fei’s mother smiled and went upstairs.
Jin Fei returned to the sofa, and Su Bin asked him, “What did your mom say?”
Jin Fei said, “My mom said you two are more handsome than me. When she sees the three of us sitting together, it’s like a before-and-after advertisement for a beauty salon… Seriously, does anyone say that about their own son? I’m starting to doubt if I’m really her biological child!”
Instead of making fun of him, Su Bin, with a hint of envy, said, “You have such a good relationship with your mother.”
Jin Fei was taken aback and jokingly said, “If you like, you can ask her to adopt you as her godson. You’re so cute, she probably won’t refuse.”
Su Bin propped his chin on his hand, “That’s not the same… What about your sister? Isn’t she studying in France? Isn’t she coming back for the Christmas holidays?”
“Why? Are you interested in my sister now?” Jin Fei seized the chance to tease, “She’s in Hawaii with her friends. She’s coming back the day after tomorrow, I think. If you want to meet her, I’ll remind her!”
Before Su Bin could respond, Allen pinched his waist, and Su Bin playfully twisted into his embrace, saying, “No need, no need!”
Just then, Ms. Song, the housekeeper, brought three bowls of noodles over, asking, “Young Master, would you like to eat in the dining room or here?”
Jin Fei said, “Just put them on the coffee table. Also, bring me some beer… What would you two like?”
Su Bin politely waved his hand, and Allen pointed to the bottled water they got on the plane, indicating they didn’t need anything.
After tasting the noodles, Su Bin couldn’t help but give a thumbs up, “It’s delicious!”
Jin Fei proudly said, “Of course, Ms. Song’s cooking is exceptional!”
Su Bin finished the bowl quickly. He wasn’t used to eating spicy food, but this bowl of noodles made him unable to stop. It was a testament to the chef’s exceptional skill. “Can I learn a thing or two from your housekeeper these days?” Su Bin looked at Jin Fei earnestly.