Chapter 64: Why Is Your Belly So Big
In the end, Chi Wang still refused Xie Siheng.
However, when Xie Siheng insisted on taking him to the school gate again, Chi Wang only reluctantly agreed after confirming that Xiao Fu was still on his way.
Throughout the journey, Xie Siheng kept his eyes lowered, his face expressionless, but Chi Wang could vaguely sense that Xie Siheng seemed a bit unhappy.
Chi Wang reasoned with him, “I think it’s better for us to be cautious. If we’re discovered and you two get into a fight, wouldn’t I have to mediate? What if I get hurt while trying to break it up?”
Xie Siheng lightly replied with a “Hmm,” and said, “When will you be back? I’ll pick you up.”
Chi Wang said vaguely, “Not sure, I might be back a bit late.”
Xie Siheng knew that Chi Wang was quite resolute once he made a decision, leaving little room for change. He was the same way; in this aspect, they were quite similar.
This could be considered a sign of a couple’s compatibility [1].
Suddenly, Xie Siheng’s mood brightened. His slightly furrowed brows relaxed. He looked at Chi Wang and said in a cool voice, “I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Chi Wang wanted to say there was no need to wait, as Xiao Fu would definitely keep him until the afternoon.
But when his gaze met Xie Siheng’s, it was as if he were scalded by those deep eyes. He quickly looked away, and the words he was about to say seemed to burn on his tongue, so he swallowed them back, awkwardly saying, “…I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
After speaking, he felt a bit annoyed with himself. He had given in too easily.
When they arrived at the gate of H University, Xie Siheng stood in front of him, reached out to adjust his scarf, and then helped him straighten the knitted hat that Chi Wang had put on crookedly, before turning to leave.
Chi Wang watched Xie Siheng’s tall and upright figure walk away, exhaled a breath of white mist, and, clutching the hand warmer in his pocket, waited under the eaves outside the guardhouse.
As it was winter break, the school hadn’t closed, and there were still people coming and going, including quite a few students.
H University had a policy of not closing during vacations. Last year, when he was working outside, he lived at the school, saving a lot of money.
This year, he didn’t have to spend the New Year in the school dormitory, Chi Wang thought.
Xiao Fu soon drove over, not in his Ferrari this time, but in a McLaren that looked quite new.
As Chi Wang got into the car, he casually asked, “Brother, did you buy a new car?”
Xiao Fu smiled until his eyes narrowed. “How could I? I borrowed it.”
Chi Wang: “…”
That was an unsurprising answer.
Knowing that Chi Wang got carsick, Xiao Fu drove very slowly. The car behind kept honking, and Xiao Fu rolled down the window, leaned out, and cursed angrily, “Idiot! Try honking again!”
After scolding, he pulled his head back and said to Chi Wang, “Did I scare you?”
Chi Wang placed his hands on his knees, appearing well-behaved and composed. “…Not really.”
The honking behind them ceased, and the car silently overtook them from the side. Xiao Fu snorted coldly, “Driving so fast, are you rushing to be reincarnated?”
Chi Wang thought: If I recall correctly, he used to be a fierce driver, speeding like thunder and lightning.
No matter how much the cars behind honked, Xiao Fu continued to drive slowly. A one-hour journey took an hour and a half before they finally arrived home.
In winter, the weather was cold, the lake surface was frozen, and the grass was withered and yellow. Fortunately, the lawn was planted with evergreen ornamental grass, so it still appeared lush.
The sausages were still hanging out to dry. Seeing them, Chi Wang felt nauseous and quickly looked away.
Xiao Fu led Chi Wang into the house. Unlike the cold outside despite the high sun, the interior was warm, with heating installed, making it cozier than relying solely on central air conditioning.
As soon as Xiao Fu entered, he began to take off his clothes. He removed his black jacket, revealing a light gray, coarse-knit, high-neck wool sweater. He even took off the sweater, exposing a white, long-sleeved shirt underneath.
Chi Wang also took off his long down coat and knitted hat. Before he could completely take them off, Xiao Fu took them and hung them neatly in the wardrobe by the entrance. He then stared at Chi Wang’s sweater and unconsciously laughed, saying, “How old are you, still wearing such childish sweaters?”
Today, Chi Wang was wearing a coarse-knit sweater he had made himself, with a SpongeBob SquarePants pattern. He didn’t think it was childish but didn’t refute Xiao Fu’s words.
Xiao Fu waited for him to take off the sweater, but Chi Wang didn’t; instead, he squatted slightly to take off his shoes and change into slippers.
Xiao Fu asked, “Not taking off your sweater? Aren’t you hot?”
After changing his shoes, Chi Wang turned his back to Xiao Fu and took off the sweater, handing it to him. He was wearing a loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt underneath.
Xiao Fu didn’t pay much attention, neatly hanging up his sweater.
Chi Wang walked into the living room and saw Xiao Fu’s fat orange tabby cat lying on the light-yellow sofa. Its facial features were squished together, lazily resembling a golden pancake.
He walked over and gave it a pet. The cat shamelessly exposed its belly. Seeing this, Chi Wang deliberately withdrew his hand with a mischievous smile. The fat cat looked a bit forlorn, rolled over, and sat up, gazing at him with beady eyes.
Only then did Chi Wang reach out to pet it, making the cat purr contentedly.
At this moment, Xiao Fu brought out a box of snacks from the cabinet and placed it in front of Chi Wang, saying, “I bought all these for you.”
Chi Wang looked and saw there were down-to-earth snacks like pickled chicken feet, honey chicken legs, spicy small fish, quail eggs, sausages, duck tongues, beef jerky, fruit lollipops, etc., as well as high-end snacks like milk hazelnut biscuits, Marni gold-leaf macarons, Ferrero chocolates, milk skin pastries with pine nuts and salted egg yolk filling, and so on.
He poured them out onto the coffee table, filling it up completely.
Cold sweat appeared on Chi Wang’s forehead, feeling the heavy weight of brotherly love. “…Why did you buy so much? When will I ever finish eating all this?”
Xiao Fu said, “If you can’t finish, just throw them away or give them to your friends. Don’t you have quite a few friends? If you give some to each, you can probably give them all away.”
“…” Chi Wang said, “But I can’t give my friends things I couldn’t finish eating.”
Xiao Fu said nonchalantly, “If you don’t tell them, they won’t know.”
Chi Wang didn’t argue with him, grinning as he said, “Thank you, brother.”
He didn’t say he would finish them; such promises couldn’t be fulfilled.
He was very cautious about what he ate now, fearing it might not be good for the baby.
Most of these snacks had additives and artificial ingredients; he definitely couldn’t eat too much.
But to make Xiao Fu happy, he unwrapped a lollipop and put it in his mouth.
Xiao Fu looked at Chi Wang with eyes full of joy.
They hadn’t seen each other for a long time; he was busy, and Chi Wang was also busy. Now that he could spend half a day with him, he was happy.
But soon, Xiao Fu noticed something off about Chi Wang. Despite his height, he was hunching over. What was that about? He used to stand straight like a bamboo pole; why was he slouching now?
Xiao Fu couldn’t help but act like a father [2], reaching out to pat Chi Wang’s back, saying, “Straighten your back; don’t slouch!”2
Chi Wang: “Ow.”
Being patted suddenly, Chi Wang couldn’t hold back a yelp.
Xiao Fu was startled, instinctively looking at his own hand. He hadn’t used much force.
Chi Wang moved a few steps to the side, reaching out to support his waist, frowning slightly, and said a bit unhappily, “Brother, don’t touch me randomly.”
Xiao Fu felt a bit remorseful but stubbornly said, “I just lightly patted you…”
He quickly changed his tone and asked, “Did I hurt you? Let me see; you’re too fragile.”
Chi Wang hurriedly said, “No, no, I’ve been sitting all day at work recently, and my waist hurts.”
Chi Wang wasn’t very sensitive to pain, but internal discomfort was much clearer than external pain. He could clearly feel the soreness in his waist and back.
This kind of ache was hard to describe. Xie Siheng used to massage his waist, but later Chi Wang didn’t want Xie Siheng touching him too much, fearing he might peek at his belly.
Xiao Fu couldn’t help but worry, “This job is ruining your health. Why don’t you come to my company and take an easy position? I’ll pay you a salary.”
Chi Wang said righteously, “That would be meaningless.”
Xiao Fu asked, “Then what would be meaningful?”
Chi Wang said, “A job where I can learn something is meaningful. Being able to learn and also earning a high salary—that’s high cost-performance.”
Xiao Fu nodded, “Alright, I’ll give you a small company; you can be the boss. You’ll definitely learn something.”
Chi Wang’s eyes widened. “Huh? Be the boss directly? Aren’t you afraid I’ll run it into the ground?”
Xiao Fu’s smile was dazzling. “What are you afraid of? I’ve run a few companies into the ground myself.”
Chi Wang: “…”
But you…
Xiao Fu said, “This is the best way to train someone. If you learn how to be a boss, the company will survive. If you don’t, the company goes bankrupt. It’s simple. If I can do it, so can you. You’re a top student, after all.”
Chi Wang was a bit tempted; he did want to learn. But now, on the one hand, he was still a student and also pregnant, lacking the energy to manage it. On the other hand, if he went, he would feel a lot of pressure.
He could only refuse.
Xiao Fu wasn’t surprised by Chi Wang’s refusal. Chi Wang always refused him, but since he was his brother, if it were someone else, he would have lost his temper and scolded them for not appreciating his kindness.
Only when Chi Wang did such things did he feel unbothered.
At this moment, Chi Wang’s phone rang. He took out his phone and instinctively glanced at Xiao Fu. Noticing this, Xiao Fu asked, “Who is it?”
Chi Wang said, “A senior.”
Xiao Fu’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Chi Wang didn’t reply to Xie Siheng’s message, turning off his phone and putting it back in his pocket. Xiao Fu’s expression returned to normal.
Xiao Fu wanted to probe the progress of Chi Wang’s relationship with Xie Siheng. If they had become close friends, he’d be furious.
He couldn’t possibly be angry with Chi Wang; he could only be angry with Xie Siheng.
But when he was about to speak, he lost interest, feeling it would be self-inflicted humiliation.
His arch-enemy being friends with his brother—how was he supposed to handle that?
It was really a dilemma.
Xiao Fu didn’t want to think about it for now. With only half a day, he naturally wanted to make the most of it.
He asked Chi Wang to get up and join him in the home theater to watch a movie.
He had already chosen the film—”Heidi and Grandpa.”
Xiao Fu’s home theater was in a semi-basement area, with a very high staircase. The steps were smooth, and the slippers Chi Wang had changed into weren’t very suitable. As he descended the stairs, he immediately slipped. Xiao Fu was walking ahead, and in a split second, Chi Wang quickly grabbed onto Xiao Fu’s broad back to steady himself.
But his foot wasn’t so lucky; he sprained his ankle.
Xiao Fu was startled. The foot he had just stepped down with quickly retracted. He turned to support Chi Wang. “Why are you so careless?”
Even though Chi Wang wasn’t sensitive to pain, spraining his ankle hurt the bone. He could feel the pain now. Frowning, he said to Xiao Fu, “I twisted my ankle.”
Forget about watching the movie.
He blamed himself for having silly ideas all day long.
Xiao Fu quickly reached out to hold Chi Wang’s waist, intending to help him back up. But as soon as his hand touched Chi Wang’s waistline, Chi Wang grabbed his hand, reacting strongly, “Brother, just hold my arm.”
Xiao Fu frowned slightly but didn’t think much of it. He supported Chi Wang’s arm back to the living room.
After Chi Wang sat down, Xiao Fu knelt on one knee to remove his sock. Sure enough, his ankle was swollen.
Xiao Fu couldn’t tell how bad the injury was; it looked quite serious. He was about to call the family doctor.
Chi Wang quickly said, “Brother, why don’t you send me back? I’ll rest at home.”
Before he could finish, Xiao Fu interrupted him, displeased, “Why are you in such a hurry to go back? You don’t want to spend the night here; do you think I’d make you stay because of this?”
Chi Wang felt a bit annoyed. “I’m sorry, I was just babbling.”
Xiao Fu said, “It must be hurting. I’ll apply some medicine first.”
He called the auntie over and asked her to bring the medical kit.
When the medical kit arrived, Xiao Fu took out a bottle of safflower oil to apply to Chi Wang.
Chi Wang was startled and immediately said, “Brother, I can’t use safflower oil.”
Xiao Fu was puzzled, “Why not?”
Chi Wang mumbled, “Maybe I’m allergic or something. If I use safflower oil, I’ll have adverse reactions.”
Hearing this reason, Xiao Fu was half-convinced. He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Chi Wang’s face.
Cold sweat broke out on Chi Wang’s forehead, his gaze flickering for a moment, but he quickly composed himself, looking back at Xiao Fu as if nothing was wrong, appearing open and honest.
Xiao Fu put down the safflower oil and asked the auntie to bring an ice pack.
Chi Wang breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Fu sat on the sofa beside him, placing Chi Wang’s foot on his knee, and used the ice pack to apply a cold compress to his ankle.
At this moment, Little Dog [3], resembling an eight-inch cake with four chopsticks inserted, wobbled over, nuzzling affectionately against Chi Wang. The loose clothing was pushed up by the cat, revealing the rounded contours of his waist and abdomen.
Chi Wang didn’t notice this. He watched Xiao Fu apply the ice pack, one hand casually petting the fat cat’s head, occasionally scratching its chin, making it purr contentedly in its throat.
Out of the corner of his eye, Xiao Fu glimpsed Chi Wang’s body. Suddenly, he looked up and abruptly asked, “…Why is your belly so big?”
Footnotes:
[1] Couple’s compatibility: The term (f? q? xiàng) literally means “husband and wife appearance,” implying that couples who have been together for a long time tend to resemble each other or have similar traits.
[2] Act like a father: The phrase (k?i di?) is internet slang meaning to adopt a paternal attitude, often scolding or correcting someone as a father would.
[3] Little Dog: Despite the name “Little Dog” (Xi?o G?u), this is actually the name of Xiao Fu’s fat orange tabby cat.
I cannot wait for chi wang xie sicheng to have raw nasty smeggs ?