Chapter 103: Do You Like It?
In the bathroom, Cheng Ge wrapped a bath towel tightly around the person who had drifted into a daze. He brought him out, placed him on the sofa, and covered him with a thin blanket.
Then he went to make the bed. Only after the bed was ready did he carry Wen Ling back into the covers before heading back into the bathroom himself.
When Cheng Ge came out, he let out a sneeze. He rubbed his hands together and turned the air conditioner up by one degree. Then he slid into the covers, pulling Wen Ling into his arms. He kissed Wen Ling’s eyes and the tip of his nose before finally closing his eyelids to prepare for sleep.
“Cheng Ge,” unexpectedly, that fellow Wen Ling woke up. He poked Cheng Ge’s arm and chased him with a question.
Cheng Ge: “…”
Just a moment ago, Wen Ling had suddenly called out Cheng Ge’s name, repeating it over and over. Cheng Ge had asked if he was feeling unwell.
As it turned out, when Cheng Ge leaned in to listen, that fellow Wen Ling was actually muttering, asking him if it felt comfortable.
How could Cheng Ge possibly be embarrassed enough to answer? With red ears, he buried his face in the crook of Wen Ling’s neck for a long time, making it so Wen Ling couldn’t ask any more questions.
He thought the matter would have ended there, but who would have guessed that Wen Ling would be so persistent and determined? He actually woke up just to ask, even after passing out.
Cheng Ge covered Wen Ling’s mouth. “Oh, stop… don’t ask anymore.”
“Why?” Wen Ling was puzzled. This was very important! This was for their long-term development!
“Agh… who asks such things? Then what if I asked you?”
“Of course,” Wen Ling didn’t show even a hint of shyness. “I loved it very much.”
Cheng Ge was “choked” until he was speechless.
Cheng Ge felt awkward with himself for a while, thinking he was being far too melodramatic and bashful. What did he look like, acting this way?
So he said in a tiny voice, “Whatever you felt is what I felt.”
Wen Ling’s tone held a hint of smugness. “Then Cheng Ge liked it very much too. I knew it.”
What do you mean, you ‘knew it’?
Cheng Ge chose to ignore those words, though he was burning with shame. He patted Wen Ling’s back. “It’s late. Sleep.”
Unfortunately, Wen Ling wasn’t willing to follow his lead. He was in high spirits and was talking much more than usual.
“I love Cheng Ge so much”—that was a regular phrase now. After saying it, he wouldn’t stop until he heard Cheng Ge say it back to him.
After the affectionate words, Wen Ling wanted to talk about something a bit more practical. “Is it okay if I decorate this place?”
“Sure. As long as you like it.”
Cheng Ge didn’t have high requirements for his living space. The essentials were that it wasn’t too dilapidated and was kept clean. Though from now on, he probably had to add one more condition: having Wen Ling there.
Wen Ling joyfully fantasized: “Then I want to hang all the drawings I made for you on the walls. I can also stand some up on the desk.”
Cheng Ge was startled into a series of coughs by Wen Ling’s plan. Putting aside the “private drawing” that absolutely could not be seen by anyone else, Cheng Ge absolutely would not allow even the one of him sleeping to be hung up.
“You can only hang the two anthropomorphic animal ones. The others aren’t allowed.”
“Why? Do you not like the others?”
He liked them, sure, but they were “not fit for public view.”
“I like them too much,” Cheng Ge kissed Wen Ling’s eye. “I want to treasure them properly. Don’t hang them; they’ll get worn out easily.” These words weren’t lies. In Cheng Ge’s eyes, the first gift was very precious and indeed needed to be treasured.
Wen Ling thought about it and agreed, deciding not to hang them. “Okay then. What you said makes a lot of sense.”
Cheng Ge closed his eyes, shifted his body down a bit, and wrapped his arms around Wen Ling’s waist. He buried his head in Wen Ling’s neck again, his voice muffled by the fabric of the clothes: “I’m sleepy. Go to sleep.”
If Cheng Ge used such a dependent posture to hold Wen Ling, Wen Ling would become incredibly well-behaved. He gently hugged Cheng Ge back, not moving an inch, even his breathing becoming light.
The room was quiet for a long while, then another sound arose. It was actually Cheng Ge, who had been urging for sleep, who suddenly spoke: “Why is your waist so thin?”
“Have you not been eating properly?”
While they were bathing, Cheng Ge had been worried about waking Wen Ling up, so he had focused on Wen Ling’s expressions and didn’t notice anything amiss. Now that he was holding him, he realized Wen Ling’s waist was excessively thin.
Wen Ling remained quiet and didn’t answer. Cheng Ge thought Wen Ling was feeling guilty and faking sleep. “Wen Ling, I’m asking you a question. Speak up.”
“Hmm?” Wen Ling’s voice was very soft. “I thought Cheng Ge was just talking in his sleep.”
Cheng Ge was instantly amused by Wen Ling. “No, I’m still awake,” he said, then asked again: “Why is your waist so thin? Have you been skipping meals again?”
Cheng Ge even pressed on Wen Ling’s stomach; there wasn’t a bit of fat.
“I’ve been eating well! I worked out for this,” Wen Ling said with a tone of pride. “Do you like it?”
Cheng Ge started laughing again, his hand stroking Wen Ling’s waist, where the lines were very defined. “Do you even believe what’s coming out of your own mouth?”
If Wen Ling could complete the daily exercise quota Cheng Ge set for him, Cheng Ge would be satisfied. If Wen Ling could do extra exercise, then sows might actually start climbing trees.
“Really, why wouldn’t I? You don’t believe me? I practice in the dorm every day. For two whole minutes.”
Cheng Ge buried his head completely into Wen Ling’s neck, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. “Wow, two minutes. Really?”
That, Cheng Ge could believe. It was just that Wen Ling’s tone, with his tail practically pointing to the sky in pride, was particularly hilarious and endearing.
“Mm-hmm. Do you like it?”
“I do. I like it very much.” After saying that, Cheng Ge dove into the covers and kissed Wen Ling’s waist as proof of his words.
Cheng Ge’s thought was to motivate Wen Ling to keep exercising—at least turn those two minutes into five? Then he would make more nutritious dishes and urge Wen Ling to eat them. If that “Little Weakling” Wen Ling didn’t undergo a transformation, he wouldn’t keep the surname Cheng.
What Wen Ling was thinking was that Jiji was so right; Cheng Ge was being so proactive again. He was extremely happy, his thoughts once again flying to the nine heavens.
Back then, Jiji had said to Wen Ling with a smile: “Your waist is already very beautiful. If you work out a bit more and shape it—those subtle mermaid lines or abs—it’ll definitely be explosive. Maybe your boyfriend won’t be able to help himself… hehehehe…”
The two of them fell asleep, each with their own “ulterior motives,” and slept until dawn.
Waking up, it was a new day, and life was gradually returning to its tracks. Cheng Ge did his best to minimize the impact of the pushing incident and those rumors on Wen Ling. Such idiotic matters shouldn’t have affected them in the first place.
So Cheng Ge barely let Wen Ling participate in the aftermath. He only made an appearance to provide testimony at one point. Even phrases like “deliberate provocation,” “leading the spread of rumors,” “causing serious physical and mental harm,” “disrupting public order,” and “refusing mediation” were all taught to him by Cheng Ge in advance.
In the end, that girl was expelled and sentenced to three years. The others who followed the trend of spreading rumors were also detained or held for various numbers of days and forced to make public apologies. Those who had posted malicious comments also deleted their posts and received disciplinary actions.
The incident turned back into “I told you so!” and “I knew things weren’t that simple.” Whether in reality or online, people were always like this—sailing with the wind, talking and then moving on. The good and bad effects left behind fell upon others, while they merely satisfied their urge to talk and then moved on to the next chaotic scene. It was a cycle without end, with one wave calming here and another rising there.
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