Chapter 45: Eating “What” Isn’t Eating?
Chen Wei finished the desserts on the table by himself.
After settling the bill and picking up the script Zhang Quan had left for him, Chen Wei rose to leave. However, just as he turned to walk away, he collided firmly with an incoming person.
The script in his hand fell to the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
Before he could even look up, Chen Wei quickly apologized and crouched down to pick up his things.
“Sijin-ge, I’ve sent you the location. When can you get here?”
The apology received no response. Accompanied by the sounds of a phone conversation above him, the person he’d bumped into only paused for a brief moment before stepping past him and walking straight away without a word.
Chen Wei tucked the scattered papers back into the folder. After ensuring nothing was missing, he stood back up with a sigh of relief.
He instinctively turned to look behind him. Unfortunately, the person had already disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
.
Ten minutes later, standing in an inconspicuous shadowed spot by the entrance, Chen Wei watched as Zhou Sijin pushed open the door and entered the restaurant.
Come to think of it, Zhou Sijin really hadn’t been to his place for a long time since that night.
Chen Wei pulled out his phone and sent a message to Zhou Sijin.
[Chen Wei: Where are you?]
As expected, the inquiry received no reply.
Putting away his phone, Chen Wei hailed a taxi at the roadside and left. However, just as he was about to enter his front door, he happened to receive a message from Zhou Sijin.
[Zhou Sijin: Out.] [Zhou Sijin: ?] [Zhou Sijin: Is something wrong?]
Chen Wei didn’t remember who had said it, but sometimes when people read messages, they automatically project the sender’s tone in their mind.
Opening the input box, Chen Wei replied peacefully: [Nothing.]
[Zhou Sijin: ?]
He replied almost instantly: [I’m coming back tonight.]
This “coming back” undoubtedly meant coming to his place.
Chen Wei put his phone away, pretending he hadn’t seen the message.
Once inside, he brewed a cup of tea and immersed himself entirely in the script.
Because he hadn’t taken Zhou Sijin’s words seriously, Chen Wei only prepared a single portion for dinner.
Halfway through his meal, the sound of the front door opening rang out.
Without turning his head, Chen Wei focused on eating the food on the table. As the footsteps drew closer, his body was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace.
The familiar scent of hormones, mixed with the sweet aroma of fine red wine, drifted into his nose. Chen Wei frowned uncomfortably.
He tilted his head to avoid Zhou Sijin’s attempt to leave a mark on the back of his neck. Putting down his chopsticks, he reached out to push Zhou Sijin away.
“I’m eating.”
The pushed-away Zhou Sijin didn’t get angry. He only gave a light chuckle and walked to the opposite side to sit down. Scanning the items on the table, his smile faltered. He looked up.
“Why isn’t there a portion for me?”
Chen Wei picked up his chopsticks again and unhurriedly moved a small piece of egg into his bowl. “You didn’t say you were coming back for dinner.”
“?”
Zhou Sijin almost doubted his own memory. “I didn’t say it?”
He pulled his phone from his pocket, found their chat history, and tossed the phone over to Chen Wei with a huff of annoyance. “Look for yourself.”
Chen Wei unhurriedly swallowed the last bite in his bowl. Putting down his chopsticks, he gave a casual glance at the phone on the table before looking up at Zhou Sijin.
Parting his lips, he calmly repeated their chat history word for word:
“I’m coming back tonight.”
He stood up to clear the bowls and plates. Looking down at the Zhou Sijin across from him, Chen Wei’s brilliant smile looked both punchable and innocent.
“So, you only said you were coming back. You didn’t say you wanted me to make a portion of food for you.”
With that, Chen Wei headed straight for the kitchen with the dishes.
He left Zhou Sijin sitting alone at the dining table.
Watching Chen Wei’s retreating back, Zhou Sijin eventually broke into a laugh.
The canary’s wings had truly grown strong; he actually dared to play mind games with him so openly now.
But it didn’t matter. To him, what did it matter “what” he was eating?
Grabbing his phone, he casually activated the robot’s program. Zhou Sijin rose and followed closely behind Chen Wei into the kitchen.
Here, Chen Wei had just tied his apron when he was suddenly lifted off the floor.
Zhou Sijin pinned him against the prep counter without a second word. In the next second, a hot kiss seared his neck.
While Chen Wei dodged, he didn’t forget to push the man away. Zhou Sijin exerted strength in his palms and pinned him down firmly.
“Zhou Sijin!”
Chen Wei’s gritted breath rang through the air. “What kind of drunken frenzy are you throwing?”
Even though a faint scent of red wine had already filled Chen Wei’s mouth through their lips and teeth, Zhou Sijin still argued with him:
“I didn’t drink.”
Nipping at his ear, Zhou Sijin defended himself:
“It’s red wine mousse cake.”
One palm slid past the apron and the hem of his shirt to rest on Chen Wei’s slender waist. With the other arm, he scooped Chen Wei up from the prep counter.
Carrying Chen Wei like a child, Zhou Sijin headed out. His voice was low and rippling, the heat of his breath falling entirely onto Chen Wei’s neck as he murmured like he was showing off a treasure:
“I brought a piece back for you, too.”
The logo on the cake packaging was a brand Chen Wei knew all too well.
He had eaten two pieces there today, and the cloyingly sweet taste returned to his memory. For some reason, Chen Wei suddenly remembered the boy he’d accidentally bumped into while he was on the phone today.
Setting him down by the shoe cabinet at the door, Zhou Sijin freed one hand to lift the cake. His other arm remained around Chen Wei’s waist.
Without missing a beat, he carried Chen Wei toward the sofa.
Undoing the packaging and pulling Chen Wei to sit in his lap, Zhou Sijin picked up a fork and brought a small piece to Chen Wei’s lips.
“The taste is quite good. If you like it, I’ll take you there to eat next time.”
The hunger in his stomach was no match for the temptation of the sweets before his eyes, so Chen Wei opened his mouth and ate the cake.
The mousse layer carried the mellow aroma of red wine and the sweetness of fine sugar; the melt-in-your-mouth fresh cream and the rich blackberry filling interlaced on his taste buds.
Chen Wei turned his head. Looking at Zhou Sijin, his eyes lit up with a hint of amazement.
The smile in Zhou Sijin’s eyes was impossible to hide. He naturally forked another piece and fed it to him.
“Is it good?” he asked.
Chen Wei nodded.
As another piece entered Chen Wei’s mouth, Zhou Sijin curled his lips into a joyful smile. “I’ll take you to the shop next time.”
“Next time” could be planned in an instant, yet he didn’t mention a single word about meeting someone at the shop today.
Gazing at Zhou Sijin’s handsome face—with its sharp features and superior bone structure, carved as if by divine favor—Chen Wei’s chest began to rise and fall uncontrollably.
He lowered his eyes to hide the complex, flickering emotions within.
To Zhou Sijin’s question, Chen Wei chose to remain silent.
Translator’s Note:
- Eating “what” isn’t eating? (吃“什麽”不是吃？): This is a cheeky double entendre. In Chinese web novel slang, “eating” often refers to… well, the intimate act. Zhou Sijin is saying it doesn’t matter if he “eats” dinner or “eats” Chen Wei.
- “The canary’s wings have grown strong” (金絲雀到底是翅膀硬了): A common idiom for someone becoming rebellious or independent.
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