Chapter 12: Call
The brothers sat down at the dining table. Auntie Lin had made a generous amount; Chu Yang felt it was enough, as he didn’t have much of an appetite right now.
Still in his suit, Chu Yuanzhou was in the kitchen reheating the food for him. When he finished and was heading upstairs to change, he suddenly remembered something. “By the way, a strangerās number called you just now. They hung up as soon as I answered. I checked the call log; they called twice.”
Chu Yang rested his head on his arms and didn’t move an inch, nor did he intend to check his phone. He said slowly, “Spying on my phone again…”
Chu Yuanzhouās steps paused. “….I didn’t look at anything else.”
He had indeed looked at Chu Yangās phone many times, especially when Chu Yang was just entering puberty.
He knew his brother was exceptionally good-looking and had a great personality; wherever he went, heād have a group of “followers,” and some would even follow him to the gate.
Only Chu Yang was oblivious and saw nothing.
The two of them depended on each other, so Chu Yuanzhouās mind was naturally entirely on Chu Yang. He was even more worried that if he wasn’t careful, his beautiful brother would be bullied by others.
So Chu Yang got a phone at a young age. Even when phones weren’t allowed in school, Chu Yuanzhou sought out Chu Yangās homeroom teacher to get him a special exemption.
Chu Yuanzhou truly cherished Chu Yang like the apple of his eye.
Chu Yang indeed didn’t call back. If it were something important, they would surely call again.
The microwave dinged. He looked up once and then slumped back down. Heād wait for Chu Yuanzhou to come down and get it…
So tired, zzz…
Chu Yuanzhou knew his temperament well and quickly came down to tell Chu Yang to wash his hands.
As Chu Yang stood up, he thought of something else. He suddenly grabbed his phone and opened his messaging app. Sure enough, Ji Zhenyi had sent him several messages.
Upon reaching Ji Zhenyiās gate, Chu Yang had helped her inside, only leaving once her family took over. Before he left, Ji Zhenyi asked him to send a message when he got home.
He had forgotten about it after coming home and showering…
[Ji Zhenyi: /Hey hey hey, are you home yet?.jpg]
Twenty minutes later…
[Ji Zhenyi: Is your house that far? Itās been almost an hour. Are you in a different district?]
In that case, wouldn’t Chu Yang have gone a huge way out of his way to drive her home?
Another ten minutes later…
[Ji Zhenyi: Did you forget, or are you busy? Reply to me when you have time.]
[Ji Zhenyi: I asked your friends and they said you haven’t replied to them either. Iām a bit worried.]
[Voice Call]
She had even called him twice afterward. It was clear she was truly afraid something had happened to him on the road.
She had even asked Chu Yangās ball teammates and roommates. Before he even clicked into Ji Zhenyiās chat, Chu Yang caught sight of several people asking if he made it home safely…
Even the dorm group chat had @-ed him.
Chu Yang quickly replied to Ji Zhenyi: [Sorry, sorry! Iām home safe. I got busy with something else and forgot.]
[/Kitten bowing.jpg]
[Don’t worry, Iām safe. This is me.]
If he added a voice clip to that last sentence, it would be exactly how he usually reported to Chu Yuanzhou.
Chu Yuanzhou had already been staring at him for several seconds. He tapped the back of the chair. “Someoneās bothering you?”
“Itās nothing. I just forgot to tell someone I made it home.” Chu Yang was always honest with Chu Yuanzhou.
So Chu Yuanzhouās next question was: “Reporting in? A girlfriend?”
Chu Yang was stunned for a moment. “What are you thinking? Itās not like that. Stop asking, I want to eat!”
After dinner, Chu Yang ushered Chu Yuanzhou and the dog out the door together, then lay on the sofa and turned on the TV.
In a place far away, someone, as if by telepathy, called Chu Yang again. This time, the one who answered was finally Chu Yang.
His eyes were still on the TV when the phone rang. He tapped it casually, brought it to his ear, and spoke lazily: “Hello. Who is this?”
Pei Xilin paused, his anticipation rising again. His knuckles tensed around the phone, and his large Adamās apple bobbed as he suppressed the urge to clear his throat. “Iām Pei Xilin. The one you saved.”
He paused there, realizing Chu Yang probably saved more than just him. Just as he was about to elaborate, Chu Yang gave an “oh.”
“Do you need something?”
The calm tone made Pei Xilin freeze for a moment, but he reacted quickly and said immediately: “…Thank you. Thank you for taking me to the hospital. Iāll transfer the medical fees to you. Can we add each other as friends?”
Chu Yang: “Sure. The ID is the number youāre calling.”
“Okay.” Pei Xilin responded but didn’t know what to say next. In the hour heād spent not calling Chu Yang back, he hadn’t planned anything.
Or rather, no words seemed suitable; it was too abrupt.
Chu Yang: “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
Pei Xilin: “…Okay. You… remember to accept the friend request.”
Chu Yang: “Mm.”
Chu Yang went into his messaging app; Pei Xilinās friend request had already been sent. He tapped “Accept,” and the other party quickly transferred the money over, expressing his gratitude once more.
Chu Yang pondered for a while, his finger tapping the screen. He didn’t know Pei Xilinās exact current situation. He didn’t need to know, anyway; he just had to save him at certain points.
But right now… Chu Yang truly hesitated at the sight of the money. He wasn’t sure how miserable Pei Xilin was right now, if he was starving, or if this money was his last savings…
If he took the money, and then had to help Pei Xilin an extra time, it wouldn’t be a very good deal…
After pondering for a while, he suddenly asked: [System, should I take this money? Pei Xilin isn’t that poor right now, is he?]
System: [No, you can take it.]
Chu Yang didn’t want to probe further. With the systemās assurance, he neatly accepted Pei Xilinās transfer and sent back a random kitten emoji.
He didn’t know that Pei Xilin stared at that emoji over and over again. He put his phone aside and, while Chu Yuanzhou was still out walking the dog, spoke to the system: [My first task counts as completed, right?]
System: [Yes.]
“….” Chu Yang restrained himself and didn’t immediately ask about Chu Yuanzhou… it was only the first task…
The system could guess what he was thinking and comforted him: [Rest assured. We will definitely fulfill what we promised you once the matter is settled.]
Chu Yang was a bit speechless. [According to normal development, shouldn’t you give me some kind of reward to make me believe more?]
The system glowed for a moment, thinking Chu Yang had a point. [Let me think…]
…No way, youāre actually thinking?? So this is negotiable.
When Chu Yuanzhou came back, he saw Chu Yang lying on the sofa watching a crime drama. He smacked his brotherās thigh. “Sit up.”
Chu Yang pulled his legs back to make room for him.
“….” Chu Yuanzhou helplessly added, “Don’t lie down right after eating.”
Chu Yang sat up with a thump. “I want some fruit.”
Chu Yuanzhou gave him a helpless look, then resignedly got up to cut some.
Chu Yang immediately smiled. “Gege is the best.”
While saying “Gege is the best,” his hand was reaching for the big dog. His hands petted the Border Collieās back over and over, then pinched the dog’s ears.
The big dog was very obedient under his touch. When Chu Yang had petted it enough and leaned back, the dog stepped forward and rubbed its back against Chu Yangās calves.
The soft fur was very comfortable.
So Chu Yang reached out his legs and hooked them over the Border Collieās back. The shiny black fur made those slender legs look even whiter, with the faint blue veins clearly visible, rubbing back and forth…
As he played, he ended up wrapping both legs around the dog… Coupled with his face, it looked somewhat suggestive, yet he paid it no attention. It was as if his upper and lower body were not one…
But then again, it was all the same; it was just that the viewer overthought it…
His expression was as casual as his movements. His face was blank as he lazily watched the TV, occasionally acting as a supervisor to see if Chu Yuanzhou was cutting the fruit properly. His gaze was too scattered, as if he weren’t looking at anything at all…
His lips and the corners of his eyes were red; he truly was exhausted.
His two legs swung occasionally, brushing against the fur. Whether the dogās fur was too stiff or his skin was too tender, his legs turned red in several places.
When his movements stopped, the Border Collie instinctively rubbed against him, whether it was scratching an itch or something else. When Chu Yuanzhou pulled it away, it kept circling Chu Yang and barking.
“Is this dog in heat…?”
“…I don’t know.” Chu Yang took one look and looked away.
He ate a few pieces of fruit and picked up his phone again to check his unread messages. Not only had Lin Zhiheng and the others messaged him, but his ball teammates had also sent messages, and even someone from the next dorm had asked if he made it home safe and had called him.
He was a bit confused, but he replied to each of them.
The ones from the other dorms were asked by Ji Zhenyi. They didn’t just ask if he was home safe; they also sent him several videos.
Chu Yang clicked on one and saw a video of him giving Ji Zhenyi a ride on the bike, set to romantic BGM. The title was even: [Using this video for recruitment will definitely be a hit! Who wouldn’t want a sweet university romance? Even the dogs are salty…]
The ones truly concerned were his ball teammates and his roommates.
They knew Chu Yang was driving someone home, but they were afraid it wasn’t just a simple ride, so they were all frantically searching for information.
The wait was long…
Since Chu Yang replied so late, they started wondering if he had only just parted ways with Ji Zhenyi…
Si Yao was the most irritable. On the balcony, he chewed on a cigarette, drenched in sweat, and covered in mosquito bites. He cursed as he returned to the dorm. While he didn’t want to be in the same space as the others, staying out to feed the mosquitoes while the AC was on inside was just stupid.
Xie An couldn’t do anything. His book was open in front of him, but he was staring at the chat window, waiting for a reply.
Lin Zhiheng wasn’t in the dorm. After getting no reply for half an hour, he had driven to Chu Yangās gate, saw Chu Yangās car, and left.
He didn’t know what he was doing. He wanted to stay a while longer but realized Chu Yangās brother seemed to be there too, so he left to avoid being caught.
Even Yin Lianchuan sent a message: [Whatās the deal?? Are you in a relationship??]
[Is what they’re saying on the forum true? Is it propaganda from the publicity department? Are you really going for true love?]
[Are you betraying me??]
[No, why aren’t you replying in a second? Why aren’t you streaming? Are you on a date?]
On the other side, after saving Chu Yangās emoji, Pei Xilin went to research similar ones. He had never sent an emoji to anyone, and no one had ever sent one to him.
Thus, he researched and came to a conclusionāChu Yang must like cats.
“….”
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