Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Jiang Cheng was thunderstruck.

What did Shang Zenian mean? He couldn’t quite tell him apart from Chen Yin anymore... Did that mean... he was about to turn gay?!

Oh my god! Hell no!

If so, he’d be an eternal sinner.

Jiang Cheng immediately wanted to speak up and dissuade him, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Shang Zenian covered his mouth.

“I know what you want to say. I don’t want to hear it. I’ll handle it myself. Don’t worry about me.”

With that, Shang Zenian released his grip and turned to go inside first.

Jiang Cheng pursed his lips and had no choice but to drop it.

The two of them got along peacefully for a few days. Jiang Cheng was getting used to being a housekeeper. There was very little work at Shang Zenian’s place—just cooking and light cleaning. He even did his own laundry most of the time. Those twenty thousand bucks honestly felt undeserved.

Moreover, although Shang Zenian said he would handle it himself, Jiang Cheng felt that the way he looked at him was increasingly like the way he used to look at Chen Yin.

Jiang Cheng figured that he didn’t actually want to turn gay—he just couldn’t let go of Chen Yin, and Jiang Cheng was like a stand-in playing Chen Yin’s role, which muddled his feelings.

Thinking about it, he really was a terrible person.

Even though Shang Zenian said he’d handle it and Jiang Cheng shouldn’t worry, Jiang Cheng felt he still had to do something to prevent Shang Zenian from falling deeper.

“Chengzi, what’s wrong? You’ve been spacing out since class ended, looking distracted. Having trouble?” During break, his roommate Lin Mo noticed him daydreaming and came over to ask.

Jiang Cheng was worried that he might have turned Shang Zenian gay. He wanted to help him but didn’t know how.

He was afraid of making things worse.

Remembering that Lin Mo usually had lots of ideas, Jiang Cheng lowered his voice and said, “I’ve been dealing with something recently. Help me figure this out.”

Lin Mo’s interest was piqued. He whispered back, “Go ahead, tell me!”

“Well, uh, there’s this guy... and it seems like I might be turning him gay. I want to help set him straight, but I don’t know how. Got any ideas?”

“Hmm, that’s tough.”

Lin Mo wasn’t surprised that a guy might be attracted to Jiang Cheng. Honestly, with his looks, it would be strange if nobody was into him.

“Easy—you find a girlfriend, and he’ll give up, right?”

“No way!” If he did that, Shang Zenian would definitely go crazy.

Lin Mo was puzzled: “Why not? I think it’s a great idea. If you don’t date, you’re giving him hope.”

“Uh, I don’t have a girl I like. I don’t want to hurt an innocent girl just to make him give up.”

“That’s true,” Lin Mo scratched his head. “Then make him lose interest in you.”

“I tried. I told him I’m really sloppy, don’t like to shower, and don’t wash my socks for half a month. He didn’t react much.”

Lin Mo slapped his thigh: “That definitely won’t work. You clearly look clean, nice-smelling, and soft—makes you want to jump him. That kind of talk has no impact. You need to gross him out through appearance and behavior!”

Jiang Cheng immediately asked humbly, “So what should I do?”

“First, appearance. When do you usually see him?”

“In the evening, um... he’s my part-time boss.”

“Oh, okay,” Lin Mo knew Jiang Cheng came from a poor family and often did part-time work. “That’s easy! I’ll put together an outfit for you. Wear this to work from now on, and he’ll be so grossed out he won’t want to look at you!”

They had no classes for the last two periods that afternoon, so they went straight back to the dorm. Their two senior roommates—one had already left for a job and didn’t stay, the other was always in the lab except to sleep.

So their four-person dorm was pretty much like a two-person one.

Back in the dorm, Lin Mo said, “I remember you have a tight short-sleeved T-shirt, black, with a skull on the front.”

Jiang Cheng fished it out of his closet: “This one?”

The shirt was one of three he’d bought for twenty bucks at a street stall. At the time, he thought it was a steal, but after wearing it once, he thought it looked a bit tacky and never wore it again.

“Yeah, pair it with these pants of mine—it’ll be perfect!” Lin Mo pulled out a pair of pants. “I’ve never worn them. I meant to return them but forgot. Try them on.”

They were about the same height, though Lin Mo was a bit heavier. The pants were stretchy, with narrow leg openings. It would probably look the same on Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng tried on the outfit skeptically. The pants were tight on the legs, the cut was ugly, and they had holes—cheap and tacky.

His legs were naturally long and slender, and with these pants, his lower half looked like two sticks walking around. It wasn’t outright ugly, but it definitely wasn’t good-looking. He was saved only by his face and figure.

Combined with the tight T-shirt, he looked like a total hick.

Even Jiang Cheng, who had little fashion sense, was shocked by this getup.

When Lin Mo saw him come out, he clapped: “That’s way more trashy. Your workplace doesn’t have a no-slippers rule, right? Wear slippers later. Too bad we don’t have a chunky gold chain—if you hung one around your neck, it’d be killer!”

“...” Jiang Cheng glanced in the mirror again. “But I’d be embarrassed to go out like this.”

He’d look like a street thug.

The stares on campus would be intense. With his fame, he might even end up on the school forum.

The thought of being talked about behind his back made Jiang Cheng uncomfortable.

“Wear a jacket! A loose jacket will tone it down. Then take it off when you get to work. Perfect!”

That could actually work?!

Jiang Cheng found a thin jacket and put it on. It did cover up some of the tacky vibe.

Jiang Cheng decided then and there to go to Shang Zenian’s place like this.

It was still early. Jiang Cheng finished his homework first before heading to Shang Zenian’s. Once there, he started cooking rice and was about to prepare the ingredients when Shang Zenian came back.

He must have just finished training. He was drenched in sweat, his thin sportswear clinging to his body, outlining the powerful curves of his athletic build. When he came in, Jiang Cheng happened to step out of the kitchen. His eyes inadvertently drifted to his crotch area, then quickly looked away.

Hmph, no way was he jealous! ╯^╰

Shang Zenian’s gaze also fell on Jiang Cheng, and he narrowed his eyes.

Jiang Cheng had already taken off his jacket, now wearing the tacky outfit. He pretended to be casual and greeted him, “You’re back!”

Shang Zenian narrowed his eyes and said with certainty, “Those aren’t your pants.”

??? Wait, how could he tell?

Shang Zenian seemed to read his mind as he glanced at the logo on his pants: "This brand isn't cheap."

"...So that was a logo," Jiang Cheng thought. "I thought it was just an embroidered pattern."

Jiang Cheng didn't recognize the brand. He knew Lin Mo's family was fairly well-off, but he hadn’t expected to get caught out like this.

But he talked tough: "I bought a fake. There are tons of those in my small town—everyone's wearing Nike tops and Jordans on their feet."

That was the truth. In remote places, nobody cared about copyright, and there was no fear of the real brand coming after them—all fakes.

"Yeah, but your eyes just now showed guilt and nervousness, so you did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"No! I just threw this on. What’s wrong with it?"

Shang Zenian ignored him and kept going: "Let me think why you're dressed like this. Because I said I couldn’t tell you and Chen Yin apart, so you want to make me lose interest?"

Jiang Cheng: "..."

This guy could read his mind!

Jiang Cheng hung his head in defeat, admitting it.

Shang Zenian found it a bit amusing. He admitted that at first, he was drawn to Chen Yin because of her strikingly beautiful and innocent appearance, like a ray of moonlight piercing his heart, barging in so forcefully.

But after spending so much time with her, his feelings for her had long surpassed her looks.

How could a little self-sabotage like this make him lose interest?

If there's anything that should make him lose interest, wouldn't it be that Chen Yin is a man?

"I’m going to go cook dinner now," Jiang Cheng said.

Shang Zenian looked at him once, then again, finding his outfit utterly garish—like a street thug.

Fine, he still cared about appearances.

Especially, he couldn’t stand Jiang Cheng wearing that while wearing Chen Yin’s face.

This guy really had a new trick every day to annoy him.

"Don’t move. Wait right there."

Shang Zenian went into the room and came back with a set of clothes: "Go change."

Jiang Cheng remembered last time he'd only worn his pants, Shang Zenian threw a fit. If he wore his whole outfit now, this guy would absolutely lose it. He tried to bargain: "Can I not change? I’ll put on a jacket and an apron; you won't be able to see it."

Shang Zenian: "Wear my clothes, or wear Chen Yin’s skirt. Pick one."

"..." Jiang Cheng without a word took the clothes and went to the bathroom to change.

Shang Zenian’s clothes were really big—felt like they could fit two of him. The shirt hung on him like a huge sack, giving Jiang Cheng another stark reminder of the size difference between him and Shang Zenian.

Did he look like a little beanpole to Shang Zenian?

When Jiang Cheng came out of the bathroom, Shang Zenian had already gone into his bedroom to take a shower. He put on an apron and started cooking.

While prepping ingredients, his childhood friend He Jun called him on video. Jiang Cheng answered with just audio.

"Huh, no picture? Did my screen freeze?"

"No, I didn’t turn on video. It’s a bit inconvenient," Jiang Cheng said, not wanting him to know where he was. The background of Shang Zenian’s place obviously screamed ‘rich people live here,’ which would be hard to explain.

"Oh, okay," He Jun didn't give it another thought. "Did you manage to get the tickets for me?"

They were both going home for National Day. He Jun was busy with military training and worried he’d miss the ticket sale, so he asked Jiang Cheng to buy them.

"Got them. Departure at 9:30 PM on the 30th."

"Great, thanks! I’ll transfer the money to you later. Hey, look at me—am I handsome?"

He Jun turned the camera to his face. Jiang Cheng glanced over while picking vegetables and was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help laughing: "Did you just escape from Africa or something?"

He Jun’s skin was naturally dark, and after days of military training under the sun, he was now really dark. When he smiled, his white teeth stood out—he really looked like he was from Africa.

"Yes, my name is Odebiao. If heaven didn't give me Odebiao, then I come to China to sell bananas."

Jiang Cheng couldn’t stop laughing at his mix of English and rustic slang: "You guys just got sun, but it wasn’t even hot many days. Next year, we’ll have both sun and heat."

"Yeah, well, I noticed some girls in class barely got tanned. I overheard them talking about some sunscreen. I’ll ask around and pass it on to you."

"No need, I’d rather get tanned like you. More manly."

Maybe if he got darker and didn't look as soft and pretty as Chen Yin, Shang Zenian would lose interest in him.

But he didn’t seem to tan easily. He’d worked odd jobs before, often under the sun, yet he stayed fair-skinned like a pale-faced pretty boy, standing out among his much darker coworkers.

"Really? Haha, look at my biceps." He Jun immediately flexed his muscles.

This guy was also into sports and basketball. Not like Shang Zenian and his sports school crew, but compared to ordinary people, he was pretty buff.

He Jun dropped his sleeve: "But getting tanned is one thing; the bigger issue is sunburn. I'm already peeling. Oh, my poor Little Cheng, thinking about your fair little face being tortured by the sun, your big bro feels for you."

Jiang Cheng was about to tell him to 'get lost' when he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He instinctively turned around and saw Shang Zenian standing at the door with no expression—he had no idea how long he'd been standing there.

"..." Jiang Cheng was afraid He Jun would start asking about the Yanshan University heartthrob and whether he’d been causing trouble again, so he quickly said, "I've got something to do here. I'll hang up now."

"So busy? Fine, see you on the 30th. Bye."

"Bye."

Jiang Cheng ended the voice call, then turned to Shang Zenian with a smile: "You're done? Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes. If you're hungry, the soup is almost ready. Want a bowl to tide you over?"

Shang Zenian ignored the question: "Who were you just talking to?"

"My childhood friend, He Jun. You don't know him."

Shang Zenian: "Your 'bamboo horse'?"

Jiang Cheng: ?

Jiang Cheng caught the sour tone in his voice and turned to look at him again. Shang Zenian's eyes were dark, his expression gloomy, clearly looking unhappy.

The earlier, lighthearted "your big bro feels for you" still echoed in his ears. It might have been a joke, but the casual, familiar tone oozed the unique closeness between the two.

Clearly, they had a close relationship.

Jiang Cheng rubbed his forehead in exasperation: "What 'bamboo horse'? He's just a friend I grew up with. Basically brothers. Don't say it like that."

He's a straight guy. He doesn't have a bamboo horse; if anything, it'd be a childhood sweetheart.

Of course, there’s no childhood sweetheart either!

Shang Zenian: “You called him ‘brother.’”

“How is that possible? He just calls himself that.”

“You’ve never called me ‘brother’ before.”

“...” So that's what this is about – he wants me to make up for not hearing Chen Yin call him 'brother'.

Jiang Cheng knew he probably wouldn’t let it go, and wanted to get him to leave quickly. Suppressing the urge to curl his toes, he blurted out two words: “Brother.”

As soon as he said it, he pushed Shang Zenian: “Get out – I need to cook!”

Shang Zenian grabbed his hand: “Say it again in a different voice.”

Jiang Cheng: “...”

A different voice meant using Chen Yin’s voice.

Seeing his stubborn expression, Jiang Cheng thought about how he’d said he couldn’t tell Chen Yin and Jiang Cheng apart anymore. He felt that if they kept going, it would only make things worse.

He let out a sigh: “Shang Zenian, I don’t think we can go on like this anymore.”

Tangling with each other would only make him sink deeper.

Jiang Cheng mustered his courage: “Maybe we should take a break for a while and calm down.”

He had initially tried to make Shang Zenian lose interest in him through some methods, but clearly that wasn’t working. So he had to resort to physical separation.

If they didn’t see each other for a while, eventually Shang Zenian would cool down and move on.

Besides, as his housekeeper, he didn’t do much work but got paid a lot. He already felt a bit embarrassed, so it was a good chance to quit.

After saying this, Jiang Cheng immediately felt the pressure in the room drop, like dark clouds gathering before a storm.

Shang Zenian’s eyes narrowed dangerously: “You’re trying to run away again?”

“Not run away, just not see each other for a while, to calm down. Otherwise, you’ll only sink deeper. Shang Zenian, I really don’t want to watch you spiral like this.”

Jiang Cheng now deeply regretted that when Shang Zenian first said he didn’t want to see him again, he hadn’t simply agreed and dropped it instead of insisting on compensation.

Now, the compensation hadn’t worked, and instead he’d dragged him into an abyss.

Shang Zenian snorted coldly: “I’m not afraid, so why are you?”

“I want to help you.”

Jiang Cheng looked up. Since their reunion, this was the first time he had dared to look Shang Zenian straight in the eyes with such bold sincerity: “Shang Zenian, it was wrong of me to deceive you. I owe you forever, and I genuinely want to help you. Don’t mess with your own life, okay?”

Shang Zenian gave a faint smile: “You really want to help me?”

Jiang Cheng nodded emphatically.

Shang Zenian raised his hand and placed it on his head. Jiang Cheng instinctively flinched, but the large hand still covered his head.

Probably because he had just showered, that hand wasn’t as burning hot as usual; the fingertips carried a hint of coolness.

Shang Zenian stroked his head, his fingertips rubbing gently on top. The boy in front of him, still looking young and boyish, wore his clothes – the oversized fabric wrapped around his thin, slender body, making him seem like a private possession, hidden away.

Only he could see him. Only he belonged to him.

Shang Zenian’s eyes grew darker and more obsessive: “Jiang Cheng, if you want to help me, stop with all these messy tricks. There’s a simple way.”

Jiang Cheng wanted to cover his ears again, a strong sense of foreboding rising inside him. He didn’t want to know what it was.

But Shang Zenian didn’t give him a chance to escape. His thumb brushed against his tender cheek as he whispered, “If you want to help me, then sink with me.”