Chapter 104
Su Bin climbed down from Allen’s body and nestled in his arms, and the two of them chatted for a long time. Allen asked him, “Do you envy Joe a lot?”
Su Bin replied, “Not really…”
Allen pinched his chin and said, “Be honest.”
Su Bin hesitated, then admitted, “Well, I’m not envious of him, but I envy the atmosphere in his family.”
Allen asked, “What were you thinking when you raised your glass for a toast?”
Su Bin didn’t expect Allen to pay such close attention and realize that he was lost in thought during the toast. He replied sheepishly, “I was thinking, it would be nice if we were real brothers.”
Allen ruffled his hair and teased, “Do brothers do this kind of thing?”
Su Bin blushed and clarified, “No, I mean I wish Joe and Fly were my real brothers, and Joe’s parents were our parents, and we were all a family. That would be great…”
Allen raised an eyebrow and asked, “What about me?”
Su Bin looked at him with a twinkle in his eye and stammered, “You… you’re different! Don’t pinch me there! You’re not the same!”
Allen pressed on, “How am I different?”
Su Bin stuttered, “You… you’re my…”—He couldn’t bring himself to say that he thought of Allen as a guardian dog with Alexander’s exterior (excluding the interior) or Allen would definitely kill him!
In a moment of desperation, Su Bin blurted out, “Boyfriend!”
Allen was taken aback, and he forgot to continue teasing Su Bin. Su Bin quickly covered his lower body and nervously looked at Allen.
Allen asked, “What did you say?”
Did he say something wrong? Su Bin repeated hesitantly, “You’re my boyfriend…”
Allen’s expression was a bit strange, but two seconds later, he burst into laughter and said, “Okay, from now on, I’m your boyfriend.”
“…?” Su Bin was still confused. How did Allen become his boyfriend in such a short time?
Allen hugged Su Bin’s head and pressed it against his own until their noses touched, their breaths intermingling. Allen then looked at Su Bin and asked softly, “Tell me, what does a boyfriend do?”
Su Bin’s face turned even redder. “Why are you asking me?”
Allen squinted his eyes. “I’ve never been someone else’s boyfriend, but you have. Shouldn’t I ask you?”
What? Allen had never been someone else’s boyfriend? He had never been in a relationship? Su Bin was shocked; he thought someone as handsome as Allen would surely have had experience in this area.
Allen lightly touched Su Bin’s lips and asked, “Did you do this with your ex-girlfriend?”
Of course, he had, back when Su Bin was in the second year of high school. But he didn’t dare to say it because Allen’s gaze suddenly seemed sinister…
Allen inquired, “Did you?”
Su Bin reluctantly confessed, “…”
Allen bit his lips and continued, “Like this?”
Su Bin gasped for breath and shook his head vigorously. “No…”
Allen then stuck his tongue into Su Bin’s mouth and licked around. “Like this?”
Breathing heavily, Su Bin shook his head again. “No…”
Allen chuckled. “I probably shouldn’t have asked you. You’re too innocent, no reference value.”
Su Bin thought, he hadn’t even turned 18 when he was in a relationship. How could he compare to Allen, who seemed to be an expert in everything? Strange, Allen had never been in a relationship, so how did he learn all these techniques? And what about those embarrassing props in the box…?
Fortunately, they were at Jin Fei’s house, so Allen wouldn’t do anything out of line. Besides teasing verbally and with kisses, there didn’t seem to be any other tricks.
After a day of thinking and a night of heart-to-heart conversations, it seemed that all the previous resentment had been wiped away, and Su Bin got to know Allen more deeply.
The two of them cuddled with each other and fell asleep peacefully…
The next day, when Allen woke up, he couldn’t find Su Bin. He sat in the room for a while but didn’t see him return, so he went downstairs and found out that Su Bin was in the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” Allen reached the kitchen door and saw Su Bin in some strange attire, looking a bit comical.
“Allen? How did you get here?” Su Bin asked.
Allen furrowed his brow. “What are you wearing?”
Su Bin was wearing an apron and sleeves that Song Mama had found for him. He looked embarrassed and said, “I’m learning how to make Chinese flatbreads and roast cakes from Song Mama. It’s a bit smoky in here; don’t come in.”
Allen entered the kitchen anyway. He approached Su Bin, looked at his attire with a smile, and said, “From now on, whenever I’m angry, you should wear this. I definitely won’t be angry.”
Su Bin received mockery from Allen, -99 blood loss, and internal injuries…
Allen glanced at Song Mama, seeing that she wasn’t paying attention, he lowered his head and stole a kiss from Su Bin, saying, “Good morning.”
Su Bin received a “good morning” kiss from his “boyfriend,” which added a +25 health regeneration buff. His face slowly turned red…
“I’ll wait for you in the living room,” Allen said with a smirk as he left.
Half an hour later, Su Bin returned to the living room with a delicious-smelling meat sandwich in hand and handed it to Allen. “Here, it’s hot, eat up!”
Allen put down the book Jin Fei had lent him, took the food from Su Bin, and asked, “What is this?”
Su Bin replied, “Chinese-style burger!”
Allen took a bite, his eyes widened slightly, and he said, “…”
Su Bin anxiously asked, “Is it good? (☆_☆)”
Allen nodded and took another bite. After savoring it carefully, he asked, “What’s inside? I taste meat and green pepper.”
Su Bin explained, “It’s marinated pork loin, braised egg, and green pepper, all chopped up and sandwiched in this flatbread.”
Allen said, “It’s delicious, even better than Subway… Is this a Chinese delicacy?”
Su Bin said, “Yes! This is a traditional specialty of Xi’an, a city in central China that used to be the capital… It’s very famous, and you can find it all over the country now!”
Su Bin felt a bit regretful; there was a stall selling meat sandwiches right outside the university gates, with people lining up every day. He used to go there a lot, and he was a bit nostalgic for it now. If it weren’t for all the complications, he might have taken Allen to try it… But then again, street vendors weren’t very hygienic, and maybe Allen would have been put off. It was better to make it himself and feed it to Allen with peace of mind.
Su Bin saw that Allen had finished the whole meat sandwich and excitedly said, “I plan to make ‘肉夹馍’ (rou jia mo) a signature snack at our restaurant, serving it for breakfast. What do you think?”
Allen nodded in approval, “It should be popular. I haven’t seen this kind of snack in M City.”
Su Bin took out a small notebook from his pocket, which had the recipe for the roasted flatbreads. He added some notes below—suggestions to cater to Western tastes, like adding cheese and lettuce, and suggested an English name, “sehamburger” (中式汉堡).
Seeing Su Bin so enthusiastic about the restaurant, Allen was pleased. He took a sip of his drink and asked Su Bin, “Do you like finance?”
Su Bin scratched his head, “I wouldn’t say I like it, it’s just my major…”
Allen continued, “Do you want to pursue a career in finance in the future?”
Su Bin mumbled, “Maybe…”
Allen asked further, “Banking? Insurance? Securities investment? Accounting? Have you ever fantasized about becoming a professional in any of these fields?”
Su Bin hesitated, thinking about his future career choices. He had considered working in a bank for stability, but it was still a vague idea. After all, he was only in his second year before going to B Country for the exchange program and hadn’t reached the age where he needed to seriously consider a job.
Allen added, “Do you remember what I said to Professor Yang yesterday? About you… about building your career in B Country.”
Su Bin replied, “I remember.”
Allen pulled him to sit down and said, “Mu, that wasn’t a lie; it’s the truth. I truly believe in it.”
Su Bin questioned, “Is running a restaurant considered a career?” In Su Bin’s view, working in finance was a proper career, while running a restaurant seemed like a casual endeavor.
Allen replied, “Of course, you need to think carefully. If in the future, running the restaurant takes up a lot of your time and energy, how will you treat your finance career? Would you be willing to give up your major?”
Su Bin was taken aback, “I probably wouldn’t!”
Allen smiled, “Don’t rush to conclusions… Remember, if you ever feel lost in the future, don’t keep it to yourself. Remember to tell me, and I’ll help you make the right choice.”
After a brief hesitation, Su Bin nodded, “Okay.”
That night, Jin Fei’s sister returned from Hawaii. Jin Fei and Su Bin went to the airport to pick her up, leaving Allen resting at home. Throughout the journey, Su Bin chatted with Allen through Skype:
all.89: “Do you have any regrets from your previous relationship?”
Su Bin thought for a moment and replied slowly, “Yes, quite a few.” Does not having gone to bed together count? But now that doesn’t matter; he has no interest in that anymore… Wait, does that mean he’s completely bent now?
all.89: “Tell me about them.”
mu: “I quite like it when my girlfriend is affectionate, but my ex wasn’t the type to be clingy… So sometimes, I felt like I didn’t have much presence.”
all.89: “…”
mu: “Um, are you upset?”
all.89: “Do you have any other regrets?”
mu: “It seems not. They’re all similar, like I wished my girlfriend would text me more, call me more, but it was usually me who initiated contact… Why are you asking all this?”
Is Allen trying to make up for his own regrets through Su Bin? (⊙v⊙)
all.89: “For my first time being someone’s boyfriend, is it wrong to seek advice from someone with experience? To avoid having the same regrets as you, have you already figured out what to do?”
Su Bin wondered, “…” Does Allen want me to be more clingy?
Su Bin confirmed with Allen, “Do you want me to text and call you more?”
all.89: “Are you asking this because you want me to give you an order?”
mu: “No need, I understand…” It turned out to be completely different from what he had in mind… orz…
all.89: “To make sure you understand, I, as your owner, command you to report your whereabouts to me every hour.”
Su Bin: “…” He really wanted to flip the table~
all.89: “Okay, now continue playing the role of your boyfriend :)”
Su Bin: “…” (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
mu: “I sent you a lot of messages the day before yesterday, and you didn’t reply.”
all.89: “I saw them, but I was angry.”
Su Bin: “…” Is it okay to be so straightforward about not replying due to anger?
mu: “So, when I’m angry, what can I do besides calling you ‘master’ (…)? Is there any other way?”
all.89: “Sincerely acknowledge your mistake and make a genuine promise, or come directly to me and do something to please me, like what you did last night.”
Su Bin: “…”
all.89: “Of course, if you keep messaging me, I will eventually reply.”
Su Bin: “…” So willful!
