Chapter 82
The insomnia was partly due to jet lag, but mainly because of what had happened that night. Apart from witnessing Chen Xiaotian and Huang Zhengming being intimate, there was also Allen’s “bewitching discourse”… It was called “bewitching” because whenever Su Bin’s heart surged with the pain of betrayal and abandonment, Allen’s words of “never abandon, never betray, never harm” echoed in his ears, like an invincible magic spell that dispersed all that pain!
In truth, when Allen said those words, Su Bin had already heatedly considered agreeing. It was like a human being tempted by a demon…
Fortunately, Allen had said not to rush with his answer. Fortunately, Allen had given him time to think.
Su Bin lay in bed, thinking repeatedly about the meaning of those words.
Allen didn’t want likes or love; he wanted Su Bin’s obedience. He hoped Su Bin would hand over his thoughts. In return, Allen would provide protection. He said the identity of “master” encompassed the roles of a father, a brother, a friend, and a lover…
Having lost the person he liked the most and his best friend, Allen’s words were like a huge cake being presented to him…
… He really wanted it…
But, if Allen’s definition of “master” also included “lover,” could he still find a girlfriend and get married in the future?
Well… in the short term, Su Bin wouldn’t think about finding a girlfriend. He had been deeply hurt by Chen Xiaotian. Thinking about it made him feel a surge of aversion and fear.
Actually, Su Bin didn’t quite understand how long Allen defined this relationship to be… Was it a lifetime? Otherwise, why say “in my lifetime” and “forever”?
However, he only had one year in the B country exchange program. After finishing his courses next June, he would return to his home country. What would he do then?
Furthermore, the “relationship” Allen mentioned was something completely new to him. It was really hard to make such a decision. What if he regretted it later?
Although no matter what, being together with Allen seemed to benefit Allen more. After all, he was so capable and impressive, while Su Bin was just an ordinary person…
Su Bin tossed and turned, not daring to make too much noise to avoid waking up Allen. He stayed awake until the sky outside turned slightly bright. At this time in the B country, night had just fallen. He finally felt a bit drowsy. However, his sleep was shallow, and he was soon awakened by the sound of a text message. Su Bin quickly picked up his phone and read, “Oh, do you have enough money?”
Su Bin stared at these words, not reacting for a while…
Yes, it was a message from his father. His father was replying to his message saying, “Dad, take care of your health.” There was no warmth, just the word “money.” Although he tried to understand his father’s intentions and be considerate, seeing this kind of message made Su Bin feel a bit frustrated… I’m not a money lender! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Ah, maybe his father wasn’t very good at expressing himself…
Su Bin sighed and suddenly remembered Allen’s words, “I’ll leave for Country B early tomorrow morning.” He quickly propped himself up and looked next to him!
Phew… luckily, Allen was still here. He hadn’t left…
Su Bin withdrew under the covers, blinked his eyes a couple of times, and tried to sleep again. This time, he slept longer. When he woke up, it was already 11 o’clock. He turned to his side and looked at Allen’s sleeping face.
The feeling of sharing a bed with someone was really strange. The bed was so big, and although there was no physical contact between them, he could still feel the warmth from Allen spreading from the mattress underneath. It was warm.
Su Bin suddenly wanted to cry. This was the first person in twenty years who said he would “take care of it.” Actually, he really wished that Allen could stay with him forever…
He quietly looked at Allen for a while. The other person was sleeping soundly, as if he wasn’t even breathing… Wait, could it be that he really wasn’t breathing?
Su Bin cautiously reached out and gently checked under Allen’s nose… There was still breath! (⊙v⊙)
As he was retracting his hand halfway, Su Bin suddenly had a whimsical thought. He slowly moved closer and, taking advantage of Allen’s deep sleep, gently lifted his upper lip to steal a glance at his canine teeth… How did Allen manage to get those vampire-like teeth the last time?
Allen suddenly woke up, squinting his eyes: “…” (￣_￣)
Su Bin, caught in the act: “…” QAQ
Allen swiftly grabbed Su Bin’s wrist and pulled him out from under the blanket: “What are you doing?”
Half of Su Bin’s shoulder was pressed against Allen’s smooth chest. He nervously said, “Nothing!”
Allen: “Why were you looking at my mouth? Do you want me to eat you?”
Su Bin shook his head in fright: “No, no, no!”
Allen suddenly revealed his teeth and grinned playfully, imitating a vampire biting someone, but he still looked handsome… This unexpected playful action made Su Bin’s heart skip a beat. He pulled back his wrist and instinctively tried to move away.
Allen released him and furrowed his brow, looking at the sunlight outside the window. “What time is it?”
Su Bin: “It’s almost noon.”
Allen rubbed his temple and let out a light cough.
Su Bin remembered Allen mentioning his throat discomfort last night and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Allen: “The air in the room is too dry because of the air conditioning.”
Technically, such a good hotel’s air conditioning should be able to regulate humidity, right? Su Bin got down from the bed to check the control panel of the air conditioner, but he didn’t find that setting. Regretfully, he returned to the bedside and asked, “Allen, are you having trouble adapting to the environment?”
With his eyes closed, Allen looked uncomfortable but assured Su Bin, “Don’t worry, I brought medicine.”
Su Bin crouched down and leaned on the edge of Allen’s bed, waiting quietly for him to feel better.
Allen opened his eyes again and saw Su Bin looking at him with a worried expression. Su Bin’s eyes, which were surrounded by dark circles, had a hint of redness and were watery and foolish…
Unable to resist, Allen smiled. He wanted to reach out and ruffle Su Bin’s hair, but as he moved, he suddenly stopped, and his smile faded.
Su Bin witnessed this change and felt a sudden pang of disappointment… Just like last night, they had kissed affectionately, and Allen had suddenly said that if Su Bin didn’t agree, he wouldn’t do it anymore.
… Actually, he was quite looking forward to Allen touching him.
Oh no, have I started to like Allen a little? Q_Q
After they finished washing up, it was already noon. Su Bin had intended to find a good place nearby to eat, but Allen had already made up his mind: “Let’s eat at the hotel’s restaurant.”
Ten minutes later, Allen led Su Bin to the restaurant downstairs.
He didn’t seem like a guest at all. Su Bin was the local person who should have been acting as the “tour guide,” but now he was the one following Allen…
But Su Bin also felt that this was indeed something Allen would do, so he didn’t dwell on it too much.
The hotel’s restaurant also offered many famous Zhejiang and Suzhou dishes, but they were much more expensive than outside. Allen ordered congee and a fried egg, as well as a few common dim sum items. It was just the right amount for two people.
However, Allen ate very little today, and Su Bin didn’t have a big appetite either. In the end, there was still a lot of food left on the table.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you have an appetite?” Su Bin asked, worried, as he saw Allen only eating a bowl of congee.
Allen smiled faintly and said, “Your cooking is better.”
Su Bin was taken aback, realizing that the dishes Allen ordered were the ones he had cooked for him before when they were abroad… And with such a simple statement, it emphasized how much Allen valued him… Su Bin was moved again.
“Where do you want to go later? Do you want to visit West Lake?” Su Bin asked politely.
Allen replied, “I want to go to your place later.”
Su Bin: “Huh?” How did Allen know that he was planning to go home?
Allen glanced at him and said, “You mentioned last night that you wanted to get some clothes from home.”
Su Bin: “Oh…” It was amazing that Allen remembered.
Every little detail of this ordinary person seemed to be seen by the all-encompassing Allen… It felt like he was being watched over by a god. Q////Q
Su Bin’s home was in Qingbo, on the east side of the lake. It was quite close to the scenic area and the Hyatt hotel. After they finished eating, they took a taxi and arrived in about ten minutes.
Finding the familiar residential building, Su Bin used his key to open the door and called out, “Dad”… As expected, there was no response.
Seeing a layer of dust on the floor and feeling the lifeless atmosphere inside, Su Bin suddenly felt a sense of desolation. He wasn’t planning to come home for this reason. “You don’t need to take off your shoes, just come in…”
Su Bin introduced the layout of the house to Allen. With three bedrooms and a living room, the apartment’s size of over a hundred square meters wasn’t small, but in the past few years, property prices in Hangzhou had surged, especially in the central areas.
“I didn’t live here when I was little; it was in another area. My dad bought this place when I graduated from junior high school…” Su Bin pushed open the door to his own room and invited Allen in, saying, “Come in and have a seat.”
Su Bin opened the window to let in fresh air, took a blanket from the closet, and placed it on the bed for Allen to sit on because he was worried that Allen might find the bedsheets dirty.
“Does this place look like a haunted house to you?” Su Bin chuckled, scratching his head, “Actually, I was planning to come here alone to get my clothes…”
“It’s alright…” Allen asked, “Where are your father and mother?”
Su Bin said, “My mother has her own house and lives alone, I guess. I don’t really know. She’s really busy, a strong woman. I rarely see her… My father has a small factory in Xiaoshan. He makes clothing tags for others. He doesn’t make much money, but he’s busy. He often sleeps at the factory.”
Allen asked, “So, you’ve been living alone since high school?”
Su Bin replied, “Yeah, pretty much. My dad comes back occasionally.”
Allen said, “Did you start cooking for yourself back then?”
Su Bin said, “Of course not, I was so busy in high school! I ate breakfast and dinner outside, and had lunch in the school cafeteria. I’d occasionally cook for myself at home on weekends.”
Allen nodded, a moment of silence following… He had heard from their conversations about Su Bin’s life in China, but he hadn’t expected it to be like this.
Not wanting the atmosphere to become too sentimental, Su Bin quickly got up and said, “Why don’t you sit for a while? I’ll go boil some water for you to drink.”
Before Allen could object, Su Bin had already rushed out to the kitchen. He was busy clanking around, and he also made a call to his father.
He spoke in Mandarin but mixed in some local dialect. Allen only understood a small portion of it, and guessed the rest. He roughly got the idea that Su Bin wanted his father to come home tonight. He mentioned that he had a friend visiting and hoped they could have dinner together.
Seeing a big bag of gifts on the table, Allen got up to check it. They were all health supplements meant for middle-aged people. He sighed softly.
His gaze fell on a small photo frame on the writing desk, and suddenly, Allen froze. He picked up the frame and stared at the photo for a long time.
In the old photo, a little boy was hugging the neck of a countryside dog, smiling with an innocent face.
Allen’s lips curled up, and he smiled softly, “So it’s you…”
