Chapter 35: Taking Care
Because he had rushed in earlier, the bathroom door hadn’t been shut tightly. A narrow crack remained, enough that the voice of the person inside could be heard clearly.
It sounded like he was on the phone with someone. His voice was very soft. Even when his emotions rose and fell, he never raised the volume, as if he were afraid of being overheard. Yet his tone was soft and gentle, almost as though he were coaxing someone.
Though his words suggested he wanted the other side to hang up, his attitude wasn’t very forceful.
He was going along with the other person.
After putting his clothes on, there was nothing left for Huo Beixing to look at, but he still didn’t want An Yi to hang up. Uncle Zhong had said that his wife was working, and if he called on his own initiative, he would disturb him, so he could only wait for his wife to call him instead. Otherwise, he might make the other person unhappy, or delay his work.
In order not to cause trouble for his wife, Huo Beixing endured it by sheer force of will. He kept his phone in hand the entire time, afraid he might miss a call from An Yi.
He had waited all day before finally getting this one call, and now after only a few minutes, it was already about to end. His expression immediately darkened with unhappiness. His dog temper came as quickly as ever.
But even so, he couldn’t bear to speak harshly to his wife.
An Yi explained, “I have to hand in my phone in a moment, that’s why I’m hanging up.”
Huo Beixing clearly wasn’t listening. His peach-blossom eyes lowered, and his face didn’t look good at all.
He asked, “Hand in your phone?”
An Yi nodded. “From now on, I’ll only get half an hour a day to use it.”
Huo Beixing felt a little displeased. What sort of rotten place had An Yi gone to, that they even restricted phones?
This kind of behavior seriously threatened the harmony of their married life.
“But don’t worry,” An Yi said close to the phone. “As soon as I get my phone, I’ll call you first thing.”
The moment he heard first thing, Huo Beixing was instantly pleased. In his wife’s heart, he was number one. Yet at the same time, he also wanted to let his wife know he was unhappy, so for a moment he was stuck between wanting to smile and not being able to smile.
“Really?” Huo Beixing asked.
Right now the other man’s mental age was only around eight. An Yi adopted the tone one used when coaxing a child. “Of course. The moment I get my phone, I’ll come find you.”
Huo Beixing immediately broke into a silly grin again, clutching the phone as if it were some treasure, his eyes full of An Yi. “Wife, I like you most too.”
Seeing his smiling face, An Yi couldn’t help smiling as well. There was always a trace of foolishness in Huo Beixing’s smile. “I like you too.”
The other man’s tiny voice kept saying like over and over. Hearing it through the bathroom made a person’s ears itch.
Because the place and climate didn’t suit him, He Ting felt miserable all over. His head swam, his body burned, and he’d wanted to shower and then just go straight to sleep. He hadn’t expected to run into the country mutt making a phone call in the bathroom.
He frowned and stopped outside the bathroom door without moving farther. Thinking back to the marks on the other man’s neck earlier that afternoon, he let out a contemptuous little laugh.
With the way the other man was speaking in such a soft, coy tone, who else could he possibly be calling if not the sugar daddy keeping him?
Still, he had to admit that the way he spoke was somewhat skillful. It really did sound pleasant to the ear.
Then again, it made sense. If he didn’t have at least a little ability in that area, no one would be keeping him in the first place.
He Ting didn’t have a habit of eavesdropping on other people’s phone calls, and his upbringing certainly didn’t give him any reason to do so. Yet despite feeling awful from head to toe, he stood right there outside the bathroom door and simply didn’t move.
Irritably, he rubbed the back of his ear. The other man was still on the phone, and who knew when he’d come out? Realizing that he was in fact eavesdropping made He Ting uncomfortable. What was he doing standing here, doing this kind of sneaky thing?
Who wanted to hear some country mutt cooing sweetly at someone in there?
Disgustingly clingy.
He raised his hand and was just about to knock on the bathroom door to ask how much longer the other man planned to stay inside, when, before he could speak, An Yi hung up the call first and stepped out—just in time to see him with his fist clenched and arm raised.
An Yi: !
Attempted assault!
Before the other man’s movement had even finished, An Yi had already mentally assigned him the crime.
Who would’ve thought that on the very first day they met, just because of the bed assignment, he’d already be plotting to murder Little Frog.
The sight of him like that was too shocking. An Yi’s eyes widened a little.
Seeing how startled the other man looked, He Ting subconsciously lowered his hand. He had never meant to hit him in the first place.
He had just opened his mouth to explain, but then swallowed the words back down.
Why should he explain anything to this country mutt?
Afterward, disdain showed on his face. He lifted a hand and shoved An Yi out of the bathroom.
“Move. Don’t block me from taking a shower.”
The bathroom door slammed shut with a thunderous bang, the kind of sound that would make a person think it was an earthquake if they didn’t know better.
An Yi didn’t bother with him. He walked back to the bed.
Not long afterward, the other two roommates returned to the dorm as well. Earlier, the assistant had told them that at eight o’clock she would come by to collect their phones. Half an hour later, He Ting came out with only a towel around his waist, handed over his phone with a dark face, then got dressed, went back to bed, and immediately flopped down, intending to sleep.
He didn’t like the environment here. The bed couldn’t compare to the one at home. There was practically nothing in this place that made him feel comfortable.
Meanwhile, the other two roommates, because it was their first day here, were excited and in high spirits, chattering away nonstop nearby.
He Ting’s head had already been buzzing painfully enough. Listening to them made it hurt even more.
“What kind of concept do you think the brand will release?”
“We’ll see it on the big screen tomorrow.”
“I think the beef noodles here taste awful.”
“I think so too.”
He Ting’s brows drew together tighter and tighter until they formed a deep furrow. The two still kept babbling away, their voices only getting louder, as if someone were shouting into his ears with a loudspeaker. The irritability inside him mounted more and more.
When one of them came over, clearly trying to get close to him, He Ting pulled him over with a cold face and warned him, “I’m going to sleep right now. If you make any more noise, then get the hell out!”
The other man was yanked so hard he nearly dropped to his knees. He nodded frantically. “We’ll definitely be quiet, Brother Ting. Have a good rest, have a good rest.”
He’d almost provoked the man. Frightened, he didn’t dare even breathe too loudly. He absolutely couldn’t afford to offend him.
At last, the noise by his ears subsided. He Ting felt a bit more at ease. When he opened his eyes, he happened to glimpse An Yi across from him, sitting up in bed reading.
The other man looked completely absorbed, with the most serious expression in the world.
This country mutt actually liked to study.
He casually looked at the cover.
Macho Man Magazine.
Sexy macho men saying hi online…
He Ting: ……
What kind of nonsense was that?
He turned his head and closed his eyes again.
At eleven o’clock, the lights in An Yi’s dormitory were turned off, and the room went to sleep.
As usual, An Yi went off to play with Duke Zhou, but halfway through the night he woke up thirsty and wanted to get up to drink some water.
The moment he sat up, he heard heavy breathing coming from the opposite bed.
Because He Ting had gone to sleep too early, the bedside lamp still hadn’t been turned off. A blanket covered him, and even in his sleep his brows were tightly furrowed. The air he exhaled sounded heavy and labored, as if he felt terribly unwell.
When An Yi came back after dinner, he had looked like this already. And now he still hadn’t improved.
An Yi watched him for a moment. Seeing that he truly looked miserable, he didn’t just ignore it. Instead, he stepped forward and touched the man’s forehead.
Oh ho.
A bit hot.
He Ting felt the coolness on his forehead and found it somewhat soothing. He lifted his heavy eyelids and saw An Yi crouching beside the bed, looking at him. The other man’s gaze carried a trace of curiosity as he touched his forehead.
A jump went through He Ting’s brow. “Why are you crouching there?!”
Looking at him, An Yi declared his diagnosis. “You have a fever.”
Who would’ve thought that though the other man’s exterior looked strong, there was actually a weak chick living inside.
Among everyone in this room, he looked the tallest and strongest. Yet thanks to not adjusting to the place and climate, he had gone down dramatically in less than half a day.
Actually, An Yi thought this place was already pretty nice. He hadn’t expected that with such a good environment, the other man would still get sick from not adjusting. It was hard to imagine just how obscenely luxurious his life must normally be.
He Ting’s head throbbed, his body burned, and he felt so awful that even breathing seemed difficult. He barely had the strength to speak. He’d always exercised regularly, and his body had always been in excellent condition, yet after only half a day here he’d fallen prey to the environment, and by night he was running a high fever.
Damn it.
He’d actually gone weak like some scrawny little thing.
The dim light from the bedside lamp made An Yi look especially soft, as if a filter had been laid over him. Seeing that, He Ting frowned. “I don’t need you to care!”
As he said it, he turned over so that his back faced An Yi, and at the same time switched off the bedside lamp, intending to go back to sleep.
Looking at him, An Yi clicked his tongue and shook his head. That one was probably friends with a dead duck. Their mouths were equally stubborn.
The other man truly didn’t look only a little uncomfortable.
After drinking some water, An Yi went to the bathroom and came back with a white towel. Then he took an ice pack from the little fridge the room had been supplied with, wrapped it in the towel, folded it neatly, and set it on He Ting’s forehead.
One more point of merit added.
Quite pleased with himself after finishing, An Yi thought to himself that this was another fine day of being a kind little frog, then he went right back to bed and slept beautifully.
The next morning, An Yi woke up to the sound of arguing. He looked at the time—eight in the morning. The brand was supposed to release the design concept at nine. He sat on the bed blankly for a while, waiting for his brain to boot up. One minute later, he rubbed his hair and got down to wash up.
From the side, He Ting couldn’t help sneaking a few extra looks at him after seeing him wake, but he was still speaking into the phone with an irritable tone.
“I said I don’t need it, so I don’t need it. You all do your work. Once I’m better, I’ll naturally go over.”
His complexion looked somewhat better than yesterday, though he still appeared uncomfortable. There was no sign of him planning to get out of bed. It seemed that today he meant to stay in the room and rest instead of taking part in the competition.
“No one is allowed to come. If I see any of you show up, without participating in the work, you’ll be automatically fired. You don’t need to stay in the studio either.”
After saying that, he hung up without waiting for the other side to reply, then buried himself under the covers and went back to sleep.
After washing up and getting dressed, An Yi left the room. When he got down to the first floor, Lin Jiu had just come out of his own room as well. The two exchanged good mornings, then went to the hall where all the studios had gathered yesterday. Gu Lingling was already sitting in the spot where they’d sat before, waiting for them.
The two went over and sat down. Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart had reunited in full, and now it was time to discuss the great matter of the day.
“As everyone knows, starting today, we are entering an extremely brutal and fierce competition! I hope our studio can give it our all and leave no regrets!”
After speaking, Gu Lingling looked at the two of them. “Does anyone have anything to say?”
Lin Jiu immediately raised a hand. “After lunch today, can we go eat grilled sausages again?”
Gu Lingling: ……
Taking a deep breath, Gu Lingling ignored Lin Jiu and turned to An Yi, who sat waiting to be called on.
“Comrade, you speak.”
An Yi said, “I want to eat two.”
Gu Lingling: ……
At nine o’clock sharp, the brand, just as promised, released the content and design concept for the competition on the huge electronic screen hanging above the hall.
It also roughly explained that once the competition ended, two studios’ works would be selected, meaning there would ultimately be two winners.
And during this half-month period, there would be one elimination round, one week from now. The elimination would be based on the preliminary design drafts of each studio. Celebrities, influencers with strong fashion resources, and professionals within the industry would come to review and make selections. Half the studios would be cut. If a studio’s initial design didn’t have anything eye-catching, the brand wouldn’t waste any more time looking at their later work.
With the design concept and competition details in hand, Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart quickly moved over to the office building the brand had set up and began researching and dissecting the concept, trying to spark inspiration.
At noon, the three planned to go eat. Gu Lingling went downstairs first and waited for them outside the building entrance, while An Yi and Lin Jiu stayed behind to tidy up before coming down too.
The moment Gu Lingling reached the first floor, she saw an entire forest of cameras and microphones outside the main doors. A great mass of media had gathered there, interviewing contestants.
Gu Lingling: !
She hadn’t expected there would already be media here on the very first day. She immediately straightened her hair and clothes. This was a golden opportunity to spread the name of Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart. She absolutely couldn’t lose face.
Once the studio gained fame and visibility, brands would naturally come looking to work with them.
A free interview was exactly the kind of thing that could increase their exposure. She absolutely couldn’t let this chance pass.
Gu Lingling also noticed that a lot of people over there wanted to be interviewed, and the crowd was somewhat packed. She didn’t rush over immediately, worried her clothes and styling would get messed up. Even if she got interviewed then, it wouldn’t look appropriate. So she waited until the flow of people thinned out a bit, then casually strolled over as if she just happened to be passing.
A reporter noticed her and came up holding a microphone. “Miss, may we interview you for a moment?”
Gu Lingling covered her mouth in surprise. “Me? Of course you can.”
Smiling perfectly, Gu Lingling began answering the media’s questions. While speaking, she kept wondering why An Yi and Lin Jiu still hadn’t come down yet. She was afraid the two of them would miss their chance to show their faces. Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart had to appear together, whole and complete.
Putting in painstaking effort, Gu Lingling began building an image for Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart Studio.
“Our studio is an extremely united, harmonious studio, all of us moving with one heart…”
At that moment, a commotion came from not far away.
“Oh ho, grilled sausage! Grilled sausage!!!”
At the sound, Gu Lingling instinctively turned around with a smile, only to see Lin Jiu wearing sunglasses and flying out from the staircase on the first floor with An Yi piggybacked on his back.
B-king entrance.
With his head lowered, An Yi exclaimed, “That’s so cool, Lin Jiu!”
Lin Jiu declared, “Of course it is!”
An Yi said, “Let’s go eat grilled sausages.”
Lin Jiu shouted, “Two! Two!!!”
Gu Lingling: ……
Silently, Gu Lingling turned back around as if she had seen absolutely nothing, and silently prayed that the two of them wouldn’t notice her either.
Just then, the reporter interviewing her asked, “May I ask if you know the two gentlemen behind you?”
Gu Lingling’s smile froze.
The image of their studio…
After laughing dryly a few times, she said, “I don’t know them at all. Today is actually the first time I’ve ever seen them.”
At that moment, Lin Jiu carried An Yi right over and called out, “Come on, Gu Lingling, let’s go eat grilled sausages!!”
Gu Lingling: ……
I fucking thank you.
In the end, Lin Jiu and An Yi went off to the dining hall with their cheeks pinched bright red by Gu Lingling.
What a woman with terrifying grip strength.
After lunch, An Yi ordered one more serving of beef noodles to take away, and only then did he go with the others for grilled sausages.
At noon, He Ting slowly woke in bed. He’d skipped breakfast, and by lunch he was starving. His stomach felt twisted into a knot with hunger. But even so, he still didn’t want to get out of bed.
Just as he was hesitating over whether to go eat, the room door opened. An Yi came in carrying the beef noodles and set them down beside the head of his bed.
“Eat.”
The sudden offering of food caught He Ting off guard. He stared blankly for a few seconds, looking at the packed-up beef noodles on the bedside table, then at An Yi, who stood there chewing away noisily and happily on a grilled sausage in his hand.
“You…”
Seeing him look over, An Yi glanced at his own sausage too and immediately pulled it behind himself protectively. “This one’s for me.”
You can’t have it.
He Ting: ……
Who wants it!!!
Still, the fact that the other man had brought him food was far beyond his expectations. He lifted his eyes to look at An Yi, not understanding why the other would do something like this.
The relationship between the two of them wasn’t exactly good. In fact, it was quite terrible. Feeling a little awkward, he asked, “Why did you bring me food?”
An Yi didn’t seem to have any grand reason. “Because you’re sick, so I brought you some.”
There wasn’t any deeper “why.”
And besides, when the man had been on the phone that morning, he hadn’t allowed anyone from his own studio to come see him either. He was practically on a death wish. How was a sick person supposed to eat if no one took care of him?
He Ting’s feelings grew somewhat complicated. Because of how bad he felt, the fire in him wasn’t roaring as wildly as it had yesterday. When he had first arrived, he’d seen An Yi dressed in rustic clothes and instantly categorized him as a country mutt beneath his notice. He’d even treated him badly with that awful temper of his. Yet not only had the other man not held it against him, last night he’d wrapped the ice pack for him, and today at noon he had even remembered he hadn’t eaten and brought him beef noodles.
The other man had brought him food, yet there wasn’t the slightest hint of pride or expectation of thanks in his tone. He hadn’t spoken as if he were currying favor either. It was as though bringing the noodles had just been the simplest thing in the world—he saw he was sick, so he brought him food. Unlike everyone else around him, who always did things for the sake of flattering him and then made sure to claim credit afterward, this person was different.
The only thing this person had worried about was whether He Ting would try to steal his grilled sausage.
A sudden wave of shame surged up in He Ting’s heart. His mouth opened, and in a dry voice he said, “Well… sorry.”
An Yi didn’t hear him clearly. “Huh?”
He Ting’s face turned black, but he still forced the words out through clenched teeth. “…Sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have used that attitude with you.”
Looking at him, An Yi said, “Even if you say that, I’m still not splitting the grilled sausage with you.”
He Ting: ……
Damn it, just who exactly was it that had stolen his sausage before!!!
Looking at the other man’s pale little face, He Ting licked his lips. Actually, looking at him like this, that face really was pretty pleasing to the eye.
He apologized properly. “Yesterday was my fault. I shouldn’t have treated you that way based on a first impression. And thank you for taking care of me last night.”
He should be referring to the ice pack from the night before.
An Yi didn’t make much of it. “Just a small effort.”
He Ting hadn’t expected him to be so open and easy about it. This country mutt’s breadth of mind was far greater than he’d imagined.
“From now on, I’ll get along with you properly. I won’t treat you like that again. And if anyone bullies you, you can come find me—I’ll teach them a lesson for you.”
If he said it this way, then the other man should forgive him, right?
After speaking, He Ting swallowed and looked into An Yi’s eyes. “Now, do you have anything you want to say to me?”
An Yi looked at him and blinked. Then understanding dawned.
“Oh.”
He Ting tilted his ear toward him.
An Yi said, “Twenty yuan for the beef noodles. Phone transfer or cash?”
He Ting: ……
Author’s Note:
He Ting: He seems quite handsome.
Huo Beixing: You little rascal, you’d better take turns keeping watch at night.
