Chapter 69: Stay. Stay.
Over the course of the afternoon, the three of them didn’t just act out God of Gamblers, Temptation of Wife, and Titanic… they also had enough energy to finish a multi-episode run of Hannibal. The genres jumped from Hong Kong gambling films to melodramatic ethics dramas, and then from epic romantic tragedies to psychological suspense thrillers.
However, the role of Hannibal was given to Lin Siyu because Jiang Qing was a kitchen hazard.
How should one put it?
Once, when the family maid had to return to her hometown for a couple of days for an emergency, Jiang Linmu handled all the meals. In the middle of cooking, he was suddenly called away and asked Jiang Qing to help finish the rest.
Jiang Qing was someone whose fingers never touched spring water; forget about cooking, he hadn’t even held a kitchen knife more than a handful of times.
Jiang Qing stood in the kitchen and dazed for ten minutes, contemplating the meaning of life. He thought from the origins of biology to the end of the universe.
For the first time, he felt a headache caused by a non-human entity.
In the end, when Jiang Linmu rushed back, he saw a pot of unidentified matter in front of Jiang Qing. It was the kind of thing where if you drank it, your Sanity points would drop to zero and youâd start seeing savages.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qing was holding a spatula and looking at him with a face full of innocence.
From then on, no one dared to let this “Chef God” who didn’t eat the food of mortals enter a kitchen.
Then, for some reason, a rumor started spreading that if one wanted to pursue Jiang Qing, they first had to be a better cook than Jiang Linmu.
To catch a man’s heart, you must first catch his stomach. And Jiang Qingâs stomach had long been held in the palm of Jiang Linmuâs hand, with a strong intent to never share it with anyone else until death.
Jiang Qing didn’t really mind, because Jiang Linmuâs cooking wasn’t just goodâit suited his tastes perfectly.
However…
“Is your brother actually good at cooking?” Jiang Qing asked curiously.
Lin Siwu glanced at Jiang Qing, then turned and shouted toward Lin Siyu:
“Ge! Show Qing-ge what you can do! We can’t let ourselves be looked down upon!”
“……”
An hour and a half later, Jiang Qing fell into silence as he looked at the various dishes on the table, all perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
So, was he really the only one whose cooking talent started at zero?
Jiang Qing picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. His eyes lit up instantly.
The two brothers saw Jiang Qingâs reaction and exchanged a smile.
The stomach had been caught.
Outside, the sky grew darker and the rain heavier.
“Ge, stay. Itâs hard to get back in this rain.” Lin Siwu looked at him with puppy-dog eyes.
“But… I drove here…”
“Stay.”
“Stay.”
Lin Siwu and Lin Siyu spoke, one on each side.
Although the two brothers looked similar, Lin Siwuâs eyes usually drooped a bit at the corners, while Lin Siyuâs slanted slightly upward.
Right now, both were looking at him, their eyes filled with a similar sense of expectation, expressed in different ways. Lin Siwu was direct; Lin Siyu was more reserved, but his intent to keep him there was clearly discernable.
The rain outside showed no signs of slowing down. Instead, it grew more torrential, with dense droplets slamming against the window panes in a rhythmic pitter-patter. The sky was as black as ink, and the halos of the streetlights were blurred into a chaotic, dim yellow by the curtain of rain.
In this kind of weather, driving was indeed not a wise move.
Hiss…
Why did this scene feel a bit familiar?
Jiang Qing withdrew his gaze from the window and let it fall back on the half-finished dishes on the table. The perfectly fresh taste still lingered on his tongue, and his stomach felt a long-lost warmth from being meticulously cared for.
He seemed to be weighing his options.
“The guest room is always kept tidy,” Lin Siyu spoke up at the right time. “Everything is new. With rain this heavy, the roads aren’t safe.”
“Yeah, yeah! Qing-ge, just stay! Our guest room is super comfortable! And…” His eyes darted around. “We can continue the ‘Hannibal’ sequel we didn’t finish this afternoon! Or watch a movie! A rainy day is perfect for staying indoors!”
As they spoke, the two stepped forward and stood on either side of Jiang Qing.
“…Fine.” Jiang Qing shrugged helplessly and finally relented. It was truly difficult to refuse two nearly identical faces filled with such expectation, especially under the double offensive of delicious food and heavy rain.
“However,” Jiang Qing added, “movies are fine, but forget about the ‘Hannibal’ sequel.” He had no desire to relive the “humiliation” of being excluded from the kitchen scenes.
“No problem!” Lin Siwu patted his chest in a guarantee. “We’ll watch something light and happy! Ge, you go get the guest room ready. I’ll take Qing-ge to pick a film!”
The labor was clearly divided. Lin Siyu nodded and turned to go upstairs. His steps were lighter than usual.
Lin Siwu led Jiang Qing to the home theater room.
“Qing-ge, look at this one! A classic comedy, guaranteed to be funny!”
“Or this! A sci-fi blockbuster, the effects are awesome!”
“Oh, and this one, a new animation. The rating is super high!”
“Horror movie? Let’s not… I’m a bit scared…” As he spoke, he shrank his neck.
Jiang Qing took a glance and his eyes suddenly lit up.
“How about we watch Silent Hill?!”
“……”
He suddenly regretted it.
“Qing… Qing-ge…” Lin Siwuâs voice was weak as he tried to struggle. “That… isn’t Silent Hill a bit too… ‘hardcore’? If we watch this on a rainy night, won’t we… have nightmares?”
Jiang Qing had already settled himself comfortably into the sofa. Hearing this, he tilted his head to look at him. “Silent Hill has a great reputation. The scenes and atmosphere are a perfect match for tonight’s weather.”
Lin Siwu wanted to cry but had no tears.
He loved being with Qing-ge, but not in a “scaring the soul out of his body” kind of way! He looked toward Lin Siyu, who had just walked in, for help.
Lin Siyu had changed into loungewear and was carrying a tray with honey milk and several plates of exquisite snacks. He paused when he heard Jiang Qingâs suggestion. He looked at his brotherâs “about to cry” expression, then at Jiang Qing, who was clearly interested.
“…Silent Hill?”
“Yes.” Jiang Qing nodded. “This one. The vibe is just right.”
Seeing that his last lifeline hadn’t worked, Lin Siwu wilted. He curled into a corner of the sofa and hugged a throw pillow tightly.
Lin Siyu placed the tray on the coffee table and was silent for two seconds. “Okay.” He didn’t object, but simply walked over and handed one of the cups of honey milk to Jiang Qing.
Then he went to the switch, leaving only an ambient light behind the screen.
Lin Siyu sat on the sofa on the other side of Jiang Qing.
The film began.
âââAuthorâs Noteâââ
Lin Siwu hangs out with his friends every day; how could he possibly be someone who just happens to have two fours and a six in his hand? The kid has deep schemes; heâs playing the “innocent” persona in front of his crush, knowing it will lower the other personâs guard.
But Lin Siwu, Iâm sorry, your level of scheming is still the lowest among everyone. It exists, but itâs nowhere near as deep as the others. So youâre still the most innocent one. Even Jiang Linmu is more calculating than you.
Jiang Qing noticed the anomaly in Lin Siwuâs practiced shuffling but didn’t say anything. After all, in his eyes, it was probably just a kid trying to show off in front of him without realizing heâd already slipped up. A different kind of indulgence from a “big brother” perspective.
Oh, by the way, Lin Siyu saw through it too, letting out a helpless sigh and a bitter smile in his heart. The third meeting between these two and their crush was basically a massive “social death” scene.
However, if the two had been very formal and hadn’t made a single mistake, Jiang Qing would actually have been less interested in them and wouldn’t have agreed to stay. It was a happy accident, one could say.
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