Chapter 51: A Sudden Clash of Styles
“Ziyu, we’re ready to order.” Lin Xia had finished filling out the takeout form and went to hand it to Wang Ziyu. However, he found Ziyu lying flat on the counter with his back to the door, looking as if life had lost all meaning.
“Ziyu?” Lin Xia called out again. Only then did Wang Ziyu slowly lift his head, standing up to take the menu card and the note Lin Xia had written.
“Lin Ge, Weifeng hasn’t been here in days,” Wang Ziyu said absently, flipping the menu cards back and forth in his hands.
“I thought you didn’t like it when Weifeng came by? How come you’re missing him today?” Lin Xia laughed. He knew Ziyu wasn’t fond of playing with Weifeng because the dog was simply too enthusiastic; Ziyu couldn’t handle the intensity. But it wasn’t that Ziyu truly disliked Weifeng—if he did, he wouldn’t spend so much time patiently keeping the dog company. To put it plainly, Wang Ziyu was just someone who said one thing but meant another.
“I suspect I have masochistic tendencies. I should be happy Weifeng isn’t coming, but now I really miss him.” Wang Ziyu propped his chin in his hands. He didn’t just miss Weifeng; he missed Weifeng’s owner even more.
Actually, aside from looking terrifying, Li Hao was fine in every other aspect, and he treated Ziyu well. The most attractive part was that Li Hao was super rich, and Wang Ziyu loved money more than anything.
It was so annoying. Couldn’t Li Hao just be direct? Was it really so hard to slap a one-million-yuan check in front of him and domineeringly demand they date? Aren’t all rich people like that? …If he did that, how could Ziyu possibly refuse?
At first, Wang Ziyu had been genuinely afraid of Li Hao, having no idea that Li Hao kept visiting the pet shop specifically to pursue him. It wasn’t until he saw Tang Yinlang pursuing Lin Xia that Wang Ziyu had an epiphany. However, Ziyu couldn’t tell that Li Hao was courting him; Li Hao’s methods were too subtle, and the oblivious Wang Ziyu just didn’t pick up on the signals. Plus, Li Hao always wore such a stern expression—how was Ziyu supposed to know Li Hao liked him?
Even if Wang Ziyu had known Li Hao’s intentions, he probably wouldn’t have done anything about it because Li Hao’s fierce appearance didn’t match his aesthetic. So, Ziyu tried his best to pretend he knew nothing. The closer Li Hao got, the more Ziyu dodged. Li Hao seemed to have realized Ziyu’s avoidance and hadn’t come to the shop for several days now.
Wang Ziyu thought he would feel relieved, but he had grown used to Li Hao revolving around him. With Li Hao gone, he felt like a massive piece of his heart was missing, and a sense of loneliness spread from the bottom of his soul.
Ziyu tried hard not to overthink it, but today he was triggered. Two blades named “Public Display of Affection” had ruthlessly stabbed into his already incomplete heart, shattering it into pieces on the floor.
He regretted it. Regret surged like a tidal wave, sweeping away the fragments of his heart that lay on the ground. His heart went with the tide, leaving him feeling miserable enough to die. If he could do it all over again, he wouldn’t deliberately avoid Li Hao; he would try to get close to him.
So what if he looked a little fierce? What was there to be afraid of…
“Ziyu?”
Wang Ziyu was spacing out again, unaware that he had dropped the menu card. Lin Xia, quick with his hands and eyes, caught it before snapping Ziyu back to reality.
“Sorry…” Ziyu felt he was losing his composure, so he hurriedly ran off to place the order. After ordering, he ran to the sofa and sat down, inching bit by bit until he was close to Lin Xia.
It just so happened that Da Bai was sitting on Lin Xia’s right. Seeing Wang Ziyu trying to get close to Lin Xia, Da Bai seized the opportunity to drill himself into Lin Xia’s arms. Wang Ziyu took the chance to lean in as well.
“…” Lin Xia saw right through the big furball’s thoughts; the jealousy was a bit too obvious.
“Lin Ge… what do I do? I think I scared Li Hao away…” Wang Ziyu rested his head on Lin Xia’s shoulder, clutching Lin Xia’s arm with both hands, acting spoiled.
“That’s what you get for playing hard to get.” Lin Xia had watched the interactions between Wang Ziyu and Li Hao, but he hadn’t said anything while Ziyu was digging his own grave. Young people always have to experience things themselves to see their true hearts. Unlike him—he was too old for games; if the heart moved and the fit was right, he’d just be with the person, plain and simple.
Besides, Lin Xia had faith in Li Hao. He had liked Wang Ziyu for so long; he wouldn’t give up easily over a few small setbacks.
“Boohoo… what should I do? I regret it…” Wang Ziyu tried to bury his head in Lin Xia’s chest for comfort, only to be blocked by a fluffy ball of fur. He had forgotten that Da Bai had crawled into Lin Xia’s arms specifically to take up the space.
“Wah!” Not only did he get no comfort, but he also got kicked (gently) by a certain petty giant dumpling. Wang Ziyu fell back onto the sofa “delicately,” wanting to cry.
“It’s okay. If Li Hao really likes you, he’ll come back. Just make sure when that happens, you don’t give him the cold shoulder again.” Lin Xia shot the big dumpling a look—don’t think I didn’t see that little kick. Lin Xia lifted the big dumpling and set him aside, then helped Wang Ziyu up to comfort him.
“I know, Lin Ge…” Hearing Lin Xia’s words, Wang Ziyu felt they made a lot of sense, and his mood instantly lifted.
Wang Ziyu was the type of person whose emotions came and went quickly; usually, a sentence or two from Lin Xia was enough to coax him back to happiness. Once cheered up, Wang Ziyu happily went off to pet the cats and dogs in the shop, using the joy of fluff to consolidate his newly restored mood.
Half an hour later, the takeout arrived. Lin Xia and Wang Ziyu got up from the sofa to collect the food. Today they had ordered poached chicken leg rice; the dipping sauce made it particularly delicious. The white dumpling loved it, so Lin Xia had ordered a few extra drumsticks.
“Aowu!” So fragrant!
The white dumpling was the first to scramble onto a chair, sitting properly and wagging his tail as he waited for Lin Xia to feed him.
The big dumpling followed close behind, jumping onto a chair next to the white one.
Lin Xia sat between the two white furballs. He opened the takeout box and untied the small bag of dipping sauce. The aroma of meat mixed with the savory sauce wafted through the air.
“Aowu!” The white dumpling sniffed vigorously, drool nearly dripping down.
Compared to the little one, the big dumpling’s behavior was much more composed, as if delicious chicken legs were nothing special to him. If he hadn’t hooked his tail around Lin Xia, Lin Xia might have actually believed he didn’t care for the chicken.
Lin Xia picked up a piece of cut chicken, dipped it in the sauce, and placed it into the white dumpling’s mouth first. Then, he picked up another piece to feed the big dumpling.
“Ao!” You eat first!
The big dumpling didn’t eat the chicken Lin Xia held to his mouth; instead, he used his paw to nudge the hand holding the chopsticks back toward Lin Xia.
Lin Xia understood the big dumpling’s intent and felt a warmth in his heart.
“Then I’ll have a piece first.” Since the big dumpling insisted, Lin Xia ate the piece of chicken that had been pushed back and forth. Only when he picked up the next piece did the big dumpling happily eat it.
“…” Wang Ziyu silently picked up his own bowl and walked away, automatically distancing himself from that clingy family of three.
The big dumpling watched Wang Ziyu walk away with a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes. It’s rare to find someone this self-aware these days. When payday arrived, he would definitely make Lin Xia give Wang Ziyu a bonus.
As for why he had to make Lin Xia give it—well, he couldn’t exactly say embarrassing things like “I don’t have a single penny to my name,” could he?
After lunch, both human and tigers lay back on the sofa, taking a nap while there were no customers. Lin Xia had a white furball lying on either side of him, and he used a hand for each to rub their bellies.
“Aow~” “Aowu~” So comfy!
Lin Xia often rubbed the white dumpling’s belly, so his technique was excellent. Both the big and small dumplings couldn’t help but let out sighs of satisfaction.
As he rubbed, drowsiness overtook the big and small dumplings, and they unknowingly fell asleep.
Lin Xia gently carried them, one by one, to the bed in the break room, covered them with a small blanket, and quietly closed the door.
In the afternoon, Wang Jiaming, who said he would drop by, actually arrived. He brought Teacher Luo and Molly with him.
“Sorry to trouble you with Jiaming here!” Luo Xiyu said humbly as soon as he entered.
“It’s no trouble. Jiaming is great; he even helps us out,” Lin Xia replied with appreciation in his voice.
“That’s good to hear.” Luo Xiyu felt instantly relieved upon hearing Lin Xia’s words. He had always worried that a scatterbrained person like Wang Jiaming would be disliked by others. After all, even he had disliked Wang Jiaming in the beginning.
“This is a small token of appreciation. I’m entrusting Jiaming and Molly to you.” Luo Xiyu smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting like a gentle spring breeze. His warm, jade-like scholarly temperament made it impossible not to like him. “We just moved here and aren’t very familiar with the neighbors yet. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Jiaming alone at home, so I told him to come over and bother you.”
School was starting soon, and Luo Xiyu needed to return to campus to prepare. Since they had just moved, he was afraid Wang Jiaming would die of boredom alone at home. Hearing that Jiaming’s cousin worked at this pet shop, and having formed a very good impression of the owner, Lin Xia, Luo Xiyu felt reassured letting Wang Jiaming stay here.
“You’re too polite.” Seeing that Luo Xiyu sincerely wanted to thank them, Lin Xia didn’t bother with false modesty. Rather than pushing someone’s goodwill back and forth, it was better to simply accept it.
Seeing Lin Xia accept the gift cleanly and decisively showed the owner’s attitude, which made Luo Xiyu feel even more at ease.
After settling Wang Jiaming and Molly, Luo Xiyu left to attend to his business. The moment Teacher Luo was gone, Wang Ziyu immediately leaned in.
“Ge, are you saying he and Teacher Luo are… in that kind of relationship?” Wang Ziyu was having a hard time digesting the scene he just witnessed. Although it was ninety percent likely that Wang Jiaming and Luo Xiyu were a couple, their visual styles really clashed.
As a literature teacher, leaving aside his looks and temperament, Luo Xiyu’s dress sense was at least normal. He wore a white shirt and dress pants, paired with a jacket that resembled a Zhongshan suit—one look and you knew he was a respectable person.
But Wang Jiaming? He was sporting an afro, wearing an oversized shirt and ripped jeans, and even his jacket was printed with a “non-mainstream” avatar. One look and you knew he wasn’t a respectable person. To say he and Luo Xiyu were a couple was truly hard to believe.
“That’s right, he’s my partner!” Wang Jiaming raised his face, speaking with pride.
He believed there were two great successes in his life: one was bravely running away from home to pursue his dreams, and the other was becoming Luo Xiyu’s boyfriend.
“Ge, you’re amazing!” Wang Ziyu’s eyes turned into stars, and he couldn’t help but give Wang Jiaming a thumbs-up. Who would have thought that someone with Wang Jiaming’s unique personality could find a partner like Teacher Luo, whose character was poles apart? “I really want to know, how did you two meet?”
To ensure Wang Jiaming could tell the story comfortably, Wang Ziyu eagerly dragged him to the sofa to sit down and obsequiously poured him a glass of water.
“Since you’re so interested, I’ll tell you. But don’t let Teacher Luo know; he’s got thin skin.” Wang Jiaming leaned back on the sofa, shaking his leg happily.
“…” Witnessing Wang Ziyu’s incredibly fluid motions, Lin Xia marveled at the sheer power of gossip.
Author’s Note: Mini Theater
To satisfy Wang Ziyu…
Li Hao (wearing sunglasses, dressed entirely in black, looking very much like a mafia boss) slammed a check for one million yuan in front of Wang Ziyu. “Do you consent or not!”
Wang Ziyu: “Sir, I consent!”
Thanks to Matsuriko for the landmine~ Mwah~
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