Chapter 90
As Jin Fei headed out to play on his own, the afternoon turned into a world of two for Su Bin and Allen. They lazily got out of bed close to noon and went for brunch.
The weather was lovely that day. The winter sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel restaurant, bathing Su Bin and Allen in its rare warmth.
“Do you want to have ‘black egg and pork congee’?” Su Bin flipped through the menu and asked Allen. “Black egg and pork congee” was the classic “century egg and lean pork congee” in Cantonese cuisine.
Allen replied, “Black egg? Is that what you mean? The translation on the menu says ‘century egg’.”
Su Bin’s lips twitched. Indeed, the hotel’s menu was bilingual, with the translation for century egg displayed as “100-year egg.”
“Well, those eggs are black,” Su Bin mused. He didn’t understand why century eggs were translated as “100-year eggs.” “The eggs would have petrified a long time ago if they were 100 years old!”
Allen raised an eyebrow. “If you want it, order it.”
Su Bin used to eat lean pork congee cooked by his grandfather when he was young. He often bought this kind of congee from the school cafeteria during his time at the university: “Let’s order a portion.”
When the congee arrived, Su Bin scooped a small bowl for Allen and passed it to him, his face filled with anticipation. “You should try it. It’s delicious!”
The close physical contact of the past couple of days had been very effective. Su Bin hadn’t realized it, but his distance from Allen had inadvertently grown much shorter. Now he spoke to Allen without feeling as constrained.
However, Allen unconsciously tilted his head back, wearing a disgusted expression. “It smells bad.”
Su Bin: “…”
Allen stated, “You eat, I won’t.”
Su Bin had a couple of spoonfuls himself, savored the taste, and then…
Allen watched him bring the spoonfuls of congee containing the dark century egg pieces closer to his mouth, feeling utterly puzzled.
Feeling the weight of Allen’s gaze, Su Bin felt a bit uneasy. He felt like he wasn’t eating regular food but rather something strange or even trash.
As Allen continued watching, he began to appreciate how cute Su Bin looked while eating. A playful smile spread across his face.
Thinking that Allen might be interested, Su Bin scooped up a spoonful and tentatively held it out, asking, “Do you want to try?”
Allen’s expression immediately changed. “No!”
Su Bin: “…”
Allen looked away from him and started searching on his phone for something related to “century egg.” He scrolled through pictures of preserved eggs, then looked at Su Bin and commented, “From an aesthetic perspective, this kind of egg is quite beautiful.”
Su Bin agreed, “Yes, intact century eggs are really pretty, and they have patterns resembling ‘trees’ inside.”
Allen added, “Some people refer to it as the ‘egg of the devil.'”
Upon seeing Allen’s “mysterious fascination” expression, Su Bin couldn’t resist asking, “Do you want to try it?”
Raising an eyebrow, Allen replied, “…no!”
Su Bin felt a bit dejected. “It’s really delicious, though…”
Allen continued researching the making process of century eggs and then looked at Su Bin. “Huh,” he exclaimed, his tone changing.
Su Bin asked, “What’s wrong?”
Allen said, “Did you know that the production of these eggs involves using lead oxide? Those beautiful patterns are formed due to the effect of lead oxide. Therefore, the eggs inevitably contain residual lead content. If the production process isn’t stringent enough, it can lead to lead poisoning in consumers…”
Allen’s warning tone surprised Su Bin. “But I’ve been eating them since I was a child!”… What does lead poisoning look like?
Seeing Su Bin’s reaction, Allen blinked his eyes slightly and his expression of concern turned into pity. It was as if Su Bin had taken all the blame for this!
Su Bin was also frightened by what he heard. “Is it really possible that I’ve been slowly poisoned by these devil eggs without even knowing?” OAO
He quickly used his own phone to search and found that the country had established standards for lead content in century eggs in a certain year. Most of the eggs on the market now were lead-free… He let out a sigh of relief and said to Allen, “The century eggs I ate as a child might not have been made according to the proper standards, but it’s been a long time, and the current eggs… should be safe, right?”
“I can’t confirm whether China’s control over the production of these eggs is stringent enough.” Allen glanced at Su Bin. His gaze was akin to a doctor looking at a terminally ill patient. No hope.
Su Bin: “…”
After finishing their meal, Su Bin started to worry about where to take Allen for entertainment. However, Allen led him straight back to the room. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Su Bin felt embarrassed. He hadn’t expected Allen to be such a homebody!
After entering the room, Allen instructed Su Bin, “Go brush your teeth.”
Su Bin: “…” Does he dislike the taste of century eggs in my mouth? QAQ
Su Bin brushed his teeth repeatedly until he was sure the taste was gone, then stepped out of the bathroom.
“Come here.” Allen had taken off his coat and was sitting on the couch, wearing only a tight black sweater, looking quite languid.
Su Bin moved over and found himself automatically pulled down to sit on Allen’s lap. Allen checked the taste in his mouth and held him in a kiss for a long while.
Afterward, the two sat together. Allen sniffed Su Bin’s scent like a large cat, repeatedly. Finally, he brought his lips and nose close to Su Bin’s neck, exhaling warm breath…
Su Bin had a sense of impending danger that he was about to be bitten on the neck again. Nervously, he leaned back, but as soon as he moved, he felt a pain in his neck. Oh no…!
Damn, although Allen wasn’t a vampire, he was definitely a vampire reincarnate! QAQ
Su Bin felt like his neck would never heal. He had just gotten rid of the marks from the cinema, and now he was going to get new ones!
Just as he was feeling weak from being bitten, his phone suddenly rang… Su Bin struggled and cried out, “Text message! Text message!”
Allen narrowed his eyes and let him go, looking a bit displeased (￣_￣)…
Su Bin took out his phone and looked at the screen in a daze. He hadn’t saved her number in his new phone, but even if you scrambled the digits, he would recognize the sequence in an instant.
—”Su Bin, have you returned to China?”
The fleeting emotions of disappointment, pain, resentment, and helplessness that crossed Su Bin’s face couldn’t escape Allen’s gaze.
Allen snatched the phone from Su Bin’s hand, glanced at the message, and then asked coldly, “Ex-girlfriend?”
Su Bin trembled, his gaze flickering. He leaned toward Allen with some unease and asked, “Should I reply to her?”
Allen fell silent for a moment, sighed, and despite his displeasure, found some pleasure in Su Bin’s immediate choice to seek his help.
“Don’t reply at all,” Allen asserted firmly.
Su Bin nodded. However, in his mind, he couldn’t shake off the image of Chen Xiaotian’s message…
He had developed a habit of anticipating her calls, her messages, her greetings. Despite the breakup, he still longed for them, even if it was just a simple inquiry like “Are you doing well?” He would be so grateful. But he had never received them.
Although he had decided to sever the bond, to forget about her, receiving this message still made his body react uncontrollably with excitement.
A few minutes later, Su Bin’s phone rang again, and he instinctively picked it up to read the message:
“I heard you’re planning to drop out of school? Is it true?”
Su Bin’s confusion grew even more intense. He looked at Allen with a pleading gaze, his eyes practically saying, “What should I do?” The better interpretation of this was “Should I reply?”
Expressionless, Allen took Su Bin’s phone and swiftly added the sender’s number to the blacklist.
Su Bin let out an exclamation of surprise and anxiously said, “How could you do that!”
As soon as those words escaped his lips, Su Bin regretted them, because he saw Allen’s face turn ironclad in an instant. Allen took his phone and headed back to the bedroom.
Su Bin was left standing there, a mix of emotions swirling within him. He also felt a bit stubborn – Allen was being so domineering! Allen had clearly promised not to abandon him, yet he had suddenly left like this! Had he done something wrong? He didn’t want to deal with Chen Xiaotian, but these anxious reactions seemed to have become a reflex in his bones. He couldn’t change it in an instant!
Su Bin didn’t realize that his focus had shifted from Chen Xiaotian’s message due to Allen’s sudden change in mood. But he was still so annoyed, uncomfortable, frustrated, and aggrieved…
For half an hour, Su Bin sat alone on the sofa in the guest room. Gradually calming down, he softened and blamed himself for everything. He muttered to himself with frustration and then got up, slowly walking toward the bedroom.
Allen was sitting on the bed with a laptop, typing away. He looked up with a cold glance when he heard someone at the door.
Su Bin: “…” This is too much. I want to turn and leave, but damn it, I have no phone, no money, and no ID! QAQ
Continuing at a snail’s pace, he made his way to the bed, calling out, “Allen~” This time, Allen didn’t even look at him.
Su Bin felt anxious, stomped his foot, and climbed onto the bed. “Lance~”
Allen: “…Hmm?”
Su Bin nudged him. “Don’t be angry anymore…” orz…
Allen asked, “Why would I be angry?”
Su Bin replied, “Because… I defied you…”
Allen inquired, “Where did you defy me?”
Su Bin said, “I shouldn’t have stopped you from blacklisting that number… I was wrong.”
Allen pressed further, “What should you call me when you’re wrong?”
Su Bin: “…” Q_Q
Finally, Allen looked at him squarely. Su Bin opened his mouth several times but didn’t say anything.
After staring at him for a while, Allen’s anger gradually dissipated from his gaze. He reached out and gently ruffled Su Bin’s hair, giving a faint smile. It wasn’t a happy smile; instead, it carried a touch of sadness.
Then, Allen returned his phone to Su Bin. “If you really want to reply, you can unblock her yourself.”
Seeing Allen like this, Su Bin was more scared than when Allen was angry. He shuffled over and whispered in a voice barely audible, “Master…”
Allen: “…”
Su Bin snuggled against him and said, “I won’t reply to her.”
“Heh heh.” A triumphant smile finally appeared at the corners of Allen’s mouth. He reached out and touched the back of Su Bin’s neck, calmly explaining, “No matter what you reply, it won’t benefit you. But if she doesn’t receive a response, she’ll feel uncomfortable…”
“She once thought she couldn’t get rid of that chewing gum, but now it’s my sweet syrup. I won’t allow her to taste even a trace of the flavor that belongs to you.”
