Chapter 30: Voice, Gorgeous Wife.

He Guan didn't embrace him; holding two bowls of fruit, he merely leaned in gently.

The weather was somewhat warm; both of them were lightly dressed today.

He Guan's T-shirt touched Luo Dongzang's cotton long-sleeve, feeling a tad warm.

Seeing no reaction from the other party, he took a step back with his left foot, ready to depart.

At that moment, Luo Dongzang stepped forward, halting his retreat and embracing his waist firmly.

He Guan was held tightly.

This feeling... how to describe it?

He Guan felt as if he was pressed into a water bed; being closer, it strangely didn’t feel hot anymore.

He was slightly shorter than Luo Dongzang, so when embraced, he instinctively lowered his head, nestling into his neck.

The embrace tightened, and the hand on his lower back pressed with increasing strength.

Silently, He Guan was pressed as if they wanted to meld into one.

The force in the grip wasn’t playful or flippant; it felt like they were trying to grow into one entity.

He Guan: "Right now, you remind me of the peach tree behind you..."

Luo Dongzang slightly relaxed his hold, reflexively looking behind.

But he saw nothing.

He Guan: "There aren’t many peach trees in this garden. In all these days, I've only found this one. Surrounding it are evergreen trees, blocking the sunlight, stunting its growth, except for one plum tree."

"So it bent its branches, reaching upwards along the plum tree, striving for a share of sunlight. Now together, they're both growing well. The peach tree should be blossoming soon."

He Guan: "You can too."

You can lean on me to live your life.

With his face against He Guan's neck, Luo Dongzang whispered, "You'll tire of me."

He Guan: "Let's see."

Luo Dongzang: "…?"

He Guan: "Test it out and see if I'd ever grow tired of you."

It's easier said than done. Previously, He Guan would often say…

"I'll stand by your side. I won't get tired of you."

But now…

"Give it a shot."

Try and see if I'm truly tired of you or if I genuinely care for you.

He Guan sometimes felt there's a peculiar logic to intimate relationships.

The closer you get... the more primal it becomes.

Actions convey love more effectively than words; presence at close quarters touches one's heart more than messages from miles away.

Luo Dongzang: "...Alright."

He Guan: "Let go. You always grip so tightly; you'll end up breaking my waist."

Luo Dongzang reached out to rub his waist with a barely perceptible smirk, saying, "You should consider working out, not just sitting in the office all day."

Holding the two bowls of fruit and leaning slightly back, He Guan retorted, "You have the audacity to lecture me? Luo Dongzang, you've become a homebody ever since you lost your sight—and you're calling me out?"

The place where Luo Dongzang was rubbing tickled. However, seeing him trying to make amends, He Guan didn't resist.

Luo Dongzang: "How do you know I'm just lazing around at home?"

He Guan: "..."

He had hoped to keep the tiny surveillance device a secret. Now, the tables had turned, and he was the one being questioned.

The hands caressing him now were gentler than before. Overwhelmed by the precise strength of Luo Dongzang's touch, He Guan chose to flee.

Retreat was the best strategy.

Taking a step back, He Guan inquired, "Found out?"

Just as he was about to break free from Luo Dongzang's reach, the latter swiftly stepped forward, capturing him in an embrace.

Being caught... was primarily He Guan's own doing.

He had stepped straight backward.

Being pursued and pinned by Luo Dongzang was a piece of cake.

Luo Dongzang pulled He Guan back into his embrace, asking, "Hmm, is this the surprise you mentioned last time?"

As He Guan surreptitiously tried to slip away, he inquired, "You don't like it?"

Luo Dongzang: "If it's from you, it's okay."

He Guan, no longer trying to sneak away, responded, "Please understand the sentiments of a husband working away from home. No one's watching over my beautiful wife. If something were to happen, where would I go to voice my grievances?"

Thus, after all the back and forth, he still remained in Luo Dongzang's arms for a few minutes.

Luo Dongzang enunciated slowly, "Beautiful wife?"

He Guan, slightly embarrassed, confirmed, "Yes, a beautiful wife—that's you."

Luo Dongzang: "I know what I look like."

He Guan: "So?"

Luo Dongzang released his grip and fetched his phone.

He Guan: "What are you doing?"

Luo Dongzang: "..."

He then activated his phone.

Blind-mode on, a familiar emotionless female voice guided the interface.

"Weibo, button. Camera, button. Latest Weibo post, button."

"He Guan, twenty minutes ago, main content, regarding our artist, Tong..."

"Shared 21,000 times. Comments: 8,351."

"Sort by time."

The robotic female voice carried no emotion.

"@ASD XiXi: Not insuring He Guan’s face is truly his loss. Such sharp features without being intimidating, genuinely handsome upon close inspection. Every glimpse reminds me of the cheerful and playful campus heartthrob from my student days... simply captivating."

"@GuShanTing: Gorgeous darling, kisses! When are we getting a selfie?"

“@……”

These were just the top comments, but with such "keywords", He Guan couldn't even imagine what the rest said.

As Luo Dongzang seemed ready to scroll further, He Guan quickly snatched his phone away. Fortunately, he remembered how to go back by sliding from the bottom left of the screen upwards. After hearing a 'ding', the robotic voice stopped.

Luo Dongzang, without any intention to retrieve his phone, stood still, giving He Guan a playful grin, "So, who's the beautiful wife?"

He Guan: "..."

He Guan: "The fruit will melt if I don't give it to Uncle Yue soon. I'll be right back to take you around. Stay put and wait for me. Or if you want to explore a bit, go ahead; I'll find you regardless. I'll be right back..."

Seeing the timing was right, Lou Dongcang wrapped it up with a nod: "Hmm."

My apologies.

He Guan, holding the fruit, hastened and then remembered that one of the bowls belonged to Lou Dongcang.

...I'll give it to him later.

Approaching swiftly, he affectionately called out, "Uncle, are you still cleaning the yard? Come have some fruit."

In the past few days, Uncle Yue has done wonders tidying up at home. He has even cleared all the withered flowers and branches from the few courtyards at the back.

The specifically designated planting area on the ground doesn't look as bare as before. Now, there's a clear delineation, and all the fallen leaves and dust have been cleaned.

Uncle Yue took off his gardening gloves and accepted his fruit platter, "Aren't you having any, Young Master?"

He Guan: "That bowl is for Lou Dongcang. I haven't taken mine out yet. I'll eat later."

After slowly chewing and swallowing a cherry tomato, Uncle Yue spoke, "Have some. Don't mind him."

He'd probably prefer that.

He Guan shook his head, "Do you need my help, Uncle? There's still a lot to be done."

Uncle Yue: "No need, Young Master. Go find Young Master Lou; he's here. I'll manage this later in the afternoon. I can handle it."

He Guan: "He's here—"

As he turned around, he saw Lou Dongcang walking straight towards them, surprisingly fast.

He quickly moved to meet him, leaving Uncle Yue with a hurried silhouette.

"Why did you come so quickly? Didn't I ask you to wait for me? I was about to head over."

"I heard you saying you'd help here..."

"Yeah, I was thinking if Uncle agreed, I'd fetch you to help too. But he declined, and you came first."

"Didn't want to be alone."

He Guan paused, "You walk quite fast."

"I took... forty-three steps. Excluding the turns, it was thirty-nine steps."

He Guan: "This is the fifth gate."

When He Guan and Lou Dongcang converse, they unconsciously lower their tones, knowing the other's acute sense of hearing. He Guan always felt that a normal volume might be too loud for him.

They exchanged a few words before quickly falling silent.

He Guan turned and smiled at Uncle Yue, "Uncle, let's get going. It's midday, time to prepare lunch. You should take a break too."

Uncle Yue: "Alright."

Following the two, he noticed He Guan holding Lou Dongcang's hand without any hesitation and sighed inwardly.

*

He Guan pondered for a moment, deciding to make hand-shredded chicken and braised eggplant for lunch. Quick dishes. One appetizer and one main.

He dropped the chicken legs into the pot, covered it, and proceeded to slice the eggplant, while striking up a conversation with Lou Dongcang, "Why do you always stand at the kitchen doorway?"

Lou Dongcang: "Being with you... I hear many sounds."

He Guan, while cutting the eggplant: "Hmm? Just knives and chopping boards, isn't it too noisy for you?"

Swiftly preparing the ingredients, he added some starch to a bowl and handed it to Lou Dongcang at the door, "Here, help mix the starch with the eggplant."

Lou Dongcang naturally reached out.

—Intending for him to move to the sink.

He Guan gave him a resigned look, quickly moving on from that, "It's just a few steps forward, why do you need me to guide you?"

But he didn't delay, swiftly guiding Lou Dongcang with wet hands towards the tap, instructing, "Turn it on yourself. I'll cut the other ingredients."

Lou Dongcang turned on the water, washing his hands, then replied, "It's not just that."

"It's your voice too."

"When you're cutting difficult ingredients, it's more intense. With easier ones, you hum tunes. Many I haven't heard, but they all sound pleasant."

"Moving around the kitchen, opening the fridge, grabbing meat or vegetables..."

"Turning the tap, opening cabinets..."

"And conversing with me."

It makes him feel... alive.

In this house... only when He Guan is home does he feel alive.

When this bridge to the outside world leaves, he feels like a computer disconnected from the internet, functioning only on basic operations.

Only connecting with He Guan brings color to his life.

He Guan paused for a moment, flipping a tomato and avoiding the deeper topic, choosing a simpler response: "Uncle Yue isn't much of a talker. He's not ignoring you; he just doesn't have much to say. You can tell, right?"

Bypassing Lou Dongcang's sentiments, he summarized simply, "Hmm, I'd come to the kitchen when he cooks too."

"You and him... you're different."

Only then did He Guan slice the tomato, making a cut, and tasting the juice on his hand, he inquired, "Oh? How so?"

Lou Dongcang: "Your rhythm, it's distinct."

He Guan chuckled, "Keep going and you'd think I'm about to play a tune in the kitchen. Any song requests? Today I'll dedicate 'King of Love Songs' to Mr. Lou."

As he spoke, noticing Lou Dongcang still standing motionless, he audibly clicked his tongue.

Lou Dongcang heard him step closer and then...

Felt a hand grasp his own.

He Guan pressed Lou Dongcang's hand into the plate, allowing him to feel the sliced eggplant, saying leisurely, "Now, you hear a new sound."

"The sound of me urging you to prep the ingredients."

It was only then that he addressed the importance Lou Dongcang placed on sounds.

He Guan had pondered for a while on what to say, but in the end, he felt... words of consolation were unnecessary.

His mere presence was affirmation enough.

Accompanying and journeying together.

That's the essence of sound.

The tomato juice on He Guan's hand smeared onto Lou Dongcang's. Not minding much, He Guan said with a smile, "Hurry up. If we wait for your eggplant, the hand-shredded chicken will get cold."

"Do you wish to starve your beautiful wife, Chef?"