Chapter 161
Allen’s gentle demeanor made Su Bin feel somewhat powerless. Lowering his gaze, he said, “Allen, I need to talk to you…” This seemed like the perfect moment to confess. “Do you remember that guy who betrayed me two years ago? He’s come to M City.”
“Hmm?” Allen’s soft expression instantly turned cold, his gaze sharp and chilling as he looked at Su Bin.
Su Bin steeled himself and continued, “He heard from someone that I’m ‘Boss Su,’ and he came straight to the shop… At first, I didn’t think it was a big deal, so I kept it from you. But then, Qin Chao arranged for him to work there… Now I often see him at the shop. Though we don’t interact much, every time I see him, I remember things from the past, and it makes me feel a little complicated.” Su Bin, following Jin Fei’s advice, confessed everything related to Huang Zhengming over the past month, including his thoughts and troubles, laying it all out for Allen. “Recently, I’ve been trying to make excuses for the mistakes he made before, thinking he did it impulsively and didn’t mean to hurt me… I’m angry about what he did, but I can’t bring myself to hate him, after all, we were the best of friends. He was there for me during those lonely years. Now he’s come to apologize for what happened… I just can’t bear to fire him or never see him again. I even thought about letting it go and continuing to be friends with him… I think I might have forgotten the pain, so I’m conflicted. But I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid you’d be upset.”
Allen remained silent for a moment before coldly asking, “Why would you think I would be angry?”
Su Bin nervously replied, “Because… I can only think of you.”
He remembered how, when he had been troubled about Sun Yujie and Cheng Ang’s breakup, Allen had said that if he let things from other people affect his mood too much, he would take back the privilege of being his friend. Su Bin clearly remembered that warning.
Allen snorted. “Seems like you know who you belong to.”
Su Bin sneakily glanced at Allen, noticing that the frost on his face seemed to be melting, though his eyes remained hard to read.
He hesitated for a moment, thinking about whether he should play the “trump card,” but then heard Allen say, “Let’s go home. I’m hungry.”
Su Bin: “…” (⊙⊙) Wait, he’s really not mad! And the fact that he said he’s “hungry”—does that mean he still has an appetite?
Allen looked ahead and said, “We’ll talk about this later.”
Although Allen made it clear that this wasn’t over, Su Bin was relieved that the “rage” he had expected hadn’t materialized. This was a good situation.
Ah~~ Jin Fei is really amazing! (⊂v⊂)
After releasing all the pent-up frustrations, Su Bin felt much lighter. He sighed in relief and started the car, backing it into his driveway.
Yang Chengzhe hadn’t returned yet, and Qi Xin, the mischievous kid, asked indirectly if Su Bin would be cooking dinner, clearly hoping to get a free meal.
Su Bin: “Yeah, I’ll cook. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
Qi Xin got his answer and happily went back to his room.
Su Bin helped Allen put away his shoes, then went upstairs and asked, “What do you want to eat?”
Allen had just finished washing his hands and came out of the bathroom. He looked at Su Bin expressionlessly and said, “I’ll eat you.”
Su Bin: “… Huh?”
Because Allen didn’t seem to be joking at all, Su Bin became alert. But before he could react, Allen suddenly picked him up and carried him into the bedroom, tossing him onto the bed.
“Al—Allen…” Su Bin’s face turned red as he propped himself up on the bed, stammering, “I just promised Qi Xin I’d cook. Can we wait a little longer…?”
Before he could finish his sentence, Allen had already taken off his jacket and… turned on the music.
The smooth jazz started playing—this was the background music they always played when they did “that” thing. As soon as Su Bin heard the tune, his whole body froze, and his mind flooded with memories of the two of them in similar situations. At the same time, his body involuntarily reacted in ways it shouldn’t have.
Allen’s knee pressed against the bed, his gaze locked onto Su Bin, and he raised an eyebrow, as if saying—”Isn’t this very honest?”
Su Bin: “…” QAQ How could this happen?!
…
Qi Xin waited for nearly an hour, his stomach growling, but no one called him for dinner. When Yang Chengzhe finally came back with a sandwich, Qi Xin realized that Su Bin had left him hanging!
Glancing at the empty living room and the kitchen devoid of any cooking smells, Qi Xin muttered to himself, “Wasn’t he supposed to be cooking? What are they doing upstairs?”
Yang Chengzhe replied casually, “Massage.”
Qi Xin raised an eyebrow. “Massage?”
Yang Chengzhe said calmly, “Yeah, Su Bin wasn’t feeling too well, so Allen’s giving him a massage.”
Qi Xin heard some faint sounds from upstairs and glanced at Yang Chengzhe’s nonchalant expression. In his mind, he couldn’t help but picture Allen giving Su Bin a massage with a poker face… His forehead instantly broke out in sweat.
Biting into the cold sandwich, Qi Xin grew even more frustrated—damn, he should’ve ordered takeout!
The next morning, Su Bin was in the kitchen, making noodles, his back sore from the previous night. Qi Xin, still in his pajamas, came in to get some tea. When they bumped into each other, Qi Xin casually asked, “How’s your back doing?”
Su Bin’s face instantly turned red all the way down to his neck. “It’s fine…” QAQ What’s with this question?
Qi Xin said, “I thought Allen didn’t care about anyone, but I didn’t expect you two to be so close.”
Su Bin: “…” Does Qi Xin know about their relationship?
Qi Xin then asked seriously, “How’s Allen’s technique?”
Su Bin: “It’s… fine.” How was he supposed to answer this? TAT
Qi Xin glanced at Su Bin’s waist and said, “He must have been really forceful, right? If you can’t handle it, just ask him to go easier. Why did you scream so much? Was it that painful?”
Su Bin: “It’s… it’s fine…” (⊙////⊙)
Qi Xin picked up his cup, took another glance at the amount of noodles Su Bin was cooking, and realized there probably wouldn’t be any left for him. With a dejected sigh, he said, “Don’t forget, you still owe me a dinner,” and turned to leave.
Su Bin, in a flurry, quickly pulled the noodles from the pot before they could overcook, feeling as if he were on the verge of tears.
After breakfast, Su Bin drove Allen to the medical building. Allen told him to park the car and come up with him.
Su Bin thought Allen had something to say and obediently followed, but to his surprise, Allen asked him to rest in the tower, locked the door behind him, and left…
Having been worn out the previous night, Su Bin hadn’t rested well. He assumed Allen was being considerate and helped him to the attic to lie down. Before long, he had fallen asleep, only to wake up in the afternoon around 2 PM—well past lunchtime.
Feeling a bit better, Su Bin went downstairs and found a neatly packaged meal on the small round table.
It seemed Allen had come by earlier but hadn’t woken him up. Su Bin microwaved the meal and ate, but after waiting for a while without seeing Allen come for afternoon tea, he thought about sending him a text. He decided to take a quick stroll around the restaurant first… only to find that the door was still locked!
Su Bin returned to the sofa, slumping down and lost in thought. Was Allen mad, or was he just playing it cool?
As he pondered, Su Bin drifted off again, only waking up when Allen returned from work.
On the drive home, Allen asked Su Bin, “When is Rock’s shift?”
Su Bin froze for a moment. This was the first time Allen had asked about Huang Zhengming since Su Bin had confessed, and he didn’t want to hide anything. He immediately told Allen the truth. Allen nodded but didn’t ask anything further.
The next day, Allen locked Su Bin in the tower again, not allowing him to go anywhere. Su Bin felt a bit frustrated—was Allen restricting his freedom now?
With nothing else to do, Su Bin sent Jin Fei a message: “Where are you?”
Jin Fei: “On a business trip in A City.”
A City was a cultural hub in the northern part of B Country, rich with ancient sites. Together with M City, where Su Bin was, and the southern capital city, D City, these three cities were the most popular tourist destinations in B Country.
Su Bin had heard Jin Fei talk before about his plans to set up a low-cost travel service company for students in B Country, and it seemed like he was moving quickly, already scouting A City.
Su Bin: “When will you be back?”
Jin Fei: “Probably in a week.”
Su Bin: “That long?”
Jin Fei: “I’ll meet a few friends while I’m here. What’s up with you?”
Su Bin: “I came clean to Allen…”
Jin Fei: “Oh? You’re still alive enough to text? Looks like things are going well.”
Su Bin: “Well, not really. Allen’s kind of keeping me locked up!”
Jin Fei: “What the heck… is this for real?”
Su Bin: “Yeah. He takes me to the medical building every day and won’t let me go out, but he’s not mad, and it seems like he’s in a good mood… I was hoping to find an excuse to say you wanted to hang out, but you won’t be back for another week!”
Jin Fei: “Haha, well, you’ll just have to stay put for now. Wait for your big brother to come back. Be good~”
Su Bin: “…”
The next day, Allen asked Su Bin to call the restaurant in advance to reserve a table for lunch at the “Boss Su experimental store.”
Su Bin breathed a sigh of relief—finally, a chance for some freedom! It seemed like his “release” was just around the corner.
He called Qin Chao to reserve a spot and then realized… wasn’t today one of Huang Zhengming’s workdays?
What was Allen up to? OAO
When they arrived at the restaurant, the moment they walked in, they caught the attention of countless people—some curious customers staring at Allen, some of the staff watching Su Bin. But the real focus wasn’t just their presence; it was the fact that they were holding hands.
Su Bin awkwardly wished he could disappear into the ground, but he couldn’t escape Allen’s grip and didn’t dare try.
Allen pulled out Su Bin’s chair for him, then, in full view of everyone, leaned down and gently kissed Su Bin on the forehead.
A wave of gasps rippled through the restaurant. Qin Chao’s jaw nearly dropped in shock, while the gossip-loving female part-time workers were already covering their mouths, their faces flushed red.
Su Bin could already foresee the trouble he would face at the restaurant. Aside from being grilled by Qin Chao, he would likely be the subject of gossip among the women, and most regulars would probably be speculating about his sexuality. He didn’t even dare look at Huang Zhengming, unsure of what expression he might be wearing.
Su Bin awkwardly ordered the nutritional set meal he had prepared for Allen—a recipe he had developed specifically for him, and the restaurant only made one serving, which was reserved exclusively for Allen.
Then, he saw Allen snap his fingers toward the bar.
Three days had passed since Su Bin had last seen Huang Zhengming, and upon catching sight of him, Huang Zhengming was overwhelmed with joy.
He knew Su Bin probably felt frustrated seeing him, so he made an effort to keep his distance, staying at the restaurant and quietly watching Su Bin from afar.
He didn’t understand why he was so fixated on this situation, even traveling all the way from their home country to M City. But whenever he remembered their last encounter in B Country, where Su Bin had cried and said “I can’t go back” before leaving without looking back, Huang Zhengming felt an emptiness in his heart, as though he had lost something incredibly important.
He knew he had to do something, and he had chosen the most foolish method—hoping that Su Bin would soften and forgive him.
One day, Su Bin would turn around and see him.
However, that recent scene shattered Huang Zhengming’s balance. It was that foreigner, the one who could easily toss him out with a flick of his wrist! What was he doing here?
Ah, right, he was now Su Bin’s friend! And the same guy who had come with Su Bin for afternoon tea—the pampered young heir! Both of them were Su Bin’s new friends. Had his place in Su Bin’s world disappeared completely?
Huang Zhengming watched every move of Allen’s closely, feeling as though his insides were being burned, his skin tingling with discomfort.
When he saw Allen snap his fingers in a provocative manner, Huang Zhengming couldn’t help but clench his fists. He didn’t understand where this anger was coming from. Maybe it was because this man had taken Su Bin away from him, or maybe it was because he was angry at Su Bin for not standing up for himself… allowing another man to hold his hand, to kiss him—wasn’t that disgusting?
But here he was, just a part-time worker. What could he do?
With his fists still clenched, Huang Zhengming reluctantly approached the table where Su Bin and Allen were seated. He leaned over and asked in a low voice, “What would you like to order?”
Allen raised his chin slightly and replied in a slow, deliberate tone, “One soda water and one rose wine.” He didn’t even give Su Bin a chance to speak, and Su Bin didn’t dare look at Huang Zhengming. His ears and neck were flushed red, and he felt as if he wanted to bury his face in the plate in front of him!
In Huang Zhengming’s eyes, Allen’s commanding attitude looked arrogant, but to Su Bin, it seemed childish. Su Bin knew that Allen was never like this normally. Today, he was deliberately asserting his ownership over Su Bin in front of Huang Zhengming, showing off, perhaps. But was it really necessary? He and Huang Zhengming hadn’t even done anything, after all!
