Chapter 23
Jiang Qingyu silently closed the refrigerator door.
At this moment, whether he sat or stood felt wrong. Whether he looked or did not look also felt wrong.
If he did not look, the way he was pressed against the refrigerator seemed slightly strange, as if he had a guilty conscience, making him feel like there were needles pricking his back.
If he looked…
Mm… he felt a little embarrassed.
Aiya, there was no helping it. Fu Jingqiu’s situation was a little special. He was not like Jiang Qingyu’s university roommates. Forget wearing only underwear; even if they had walked around completely naked in front of him, Jiang Qingyu would only have found it painful to look at.
They had been so skinny it was ridiculous. When taking photos for online dating, they would hide in the bathroom, pretentiously bite the hem of their shirts, and take mirror selfies, calling it lean muscle, when in reality they were just purely thin.
In Jiang Qingyu’s eyes, they were “males,” while Fu Jingqiu was a “man.”
The difference between the two could not be explained clearly in just a sentence or two.
It was like how Jiang Qingyu would not have any strange reaction at all when facing them, but now he did not quite dare to look at Fu Jingqiu, nor was he embarrassed enough to strike up a conversation. His hands and feet stiffened as he stood up, closed the refrigerator door, and prepared to lower his head and silently roll back to the big bed in his bedroom.
Fu Jingqiu greeted him as if nothing had happened. “Are you hungry?”
Hungry… no, wait. The two of us just ate a bowl of zhajiang noodles. What would I be hungry for!
Jiang Qingyu lowered his head and looked at his orange cat-paw slippers. “No, I was just, um, checking the fridge to see what to eat tomorrow.”
Bracing himself, he said, “I don’t think I’ve asked what you like to eat yet. You can mention anything. Anyway, there are tons of recipes online now. If I don’t know how to make it, I’ll look it up.”
Fu Jingqiu held a towel and wiped his hair, his movements very natural. His chest muscles seemed ready to burst out, and his honey-colored skin looked incredibly smooth and fine under the light.
He did not notice at all that there was anything improper about being bare-chested like this. He replied openly, “I like eating shrimp more. Any variety is fine.”
Jiang Qingyu nodded like a chick pecking at rice. “Oh, okay, okay. Tomorrow I’ll saucy—no, cook. I know how to cook that.”
Ahhhhhhh, was there something wrong with his tongue?!
It was a little saucy! If you’re talking, then talk. Why are you standing so close?
Jiang Qingyu somewhat wanted to roll his eyes. He had no sense of boundaries at all. Even if they were both men, people still needed to keep some distance!
He immediately reflected on why his own reaction was so strong. The reason seemed very simple: Fu Jingqiu’s sense of masculinity was too obvious.
It was like the difference between a male and a man. Even if one were a steel-straight man, seeing such a scene did not guarantee that one’s heart would remain still as water!
Fu Jingqiu did not feel anything was wrong at all and even thanked him. “Thanks for the trouble. When the time comes, I’ll help you. I can prepare the ingredients.”
Thank you very much, but I’d thank heaven and earth if you just put on some clothes properly.
Having truly nothing to say, Jiang Qingyu did not want to stay in the living room any longer. He vaguely said good night to Fu Jingqiu, then prepared to return to the bedroom with his arms and legs moving on the same side.
Just as he was about to close the door, he remembered that he had left his insulated cup by the sink counter. With the temperature fluctuating so much these days, he liked drinking a little warm water after waking up in the morning.
So he turned back. Unintentionally, he glanced toward Fu Jingqiu and saw that the other man had dried most of his hair and was putting on clothes.
Jiang Qingyu thought that once he put on clothes, things might be better, but the moment the fabric wrapped around Fu Jingqiu’s arms, Jiang Qingyu began to feel that something was not right.
A black mock-neck sweater. Tight-fitting.
In an instant, countless dirty jokes and memes involving colors popped into his mind. Fu Jingqiu had just taken a shower and might still have some reaction, perfectly matching the line that appeared in Jiang Qingyu’s head:
The quality of your clothes doesn’t seem very good. They’re already pilling.
No.
No, wait, weren’t these clothes terrible? Even the most proper man would become improper after putting on this kind of clothing!
How good was this for an art student’s eyes? Every rise and exertion of every muscle could be seen clearly under the wrapping of the fabric. Under that tight restraint, each movement became extremely aesthetic.
It could be said that he had trained his muscles to perfection. Whether in shape or line, everything was just right, suitable for use as a sculpture reference.
Jiang Qingyu had never deliberately paid attention to these things before. Only now did he discover that a man’s body could actually be quite good-looking.
Oh, of course, it depended on the person.
After a few breaths, his chest rose and fell. No matter how large the space inside the vehicle was, Jiang Qingyu was not nearsighted, so naturally he saw everything clearly.
Heat rapidly rushed up to his cheeks, scalding in a way he was not used to. Jiang Qingyu stammered, “Why… why are you wearing this kind of clothing?”
Fu Jingqiu did not notice anything at all. He even lowered his head to look at himself. “What’s wrong?”
He said innocently, “This clothing is very comfortable.”
Comfortable where!!
Besides, they were about to sleep. Shouldn’t he be wearing something soft and loose for pajamas? Why wear this kind of tight, thin sweater?
Jiang Qingyu rubbed his face hard, cleared his throat, and pretended to be calm. “What about the pajamas I bought you?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “I’ll wear them after washing them tomorrow.”
He had forgotten about that.
Jiang Qingyu said, “Then did you wash the one you’re wearing?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “Mm. I washed it casually when I came back earlier. It had just finished drying, so I took it out and put it on. This is the only one I have.”
Probably because Jiang Qingyu’s expression did not look quite right, Fu Jingqiu guessed for a moment. “Does it not look good?”
That made sense. Just by looking at Jiang Qingyu’s bedroom, one could tell. His bedding, pajamas, and even slippers were all fresh, light-colored tones, and they looked quite cute.
He probably did not like this kind of black, white, and gray combination.
Fu Jingqiu was very easygoing about this kind of thing. After thinking for a moment, he raised his hand and took the sweater off. “Sleeping bare is fine too. I’ll wash the pajamas tomorrow before wearing them.”
Jiang Qingyu: “…………” I have lost the ability to speak, big brother.
Seeing his silence, Fu Jingqiu even comforted him. “It’s fine. I used to often sleep naked too.”
Who wanted to know that!
Seeing that the topic and its development had already strayed far from his original intention, galloping away like a wild horse that would never return, Jiang Qingyu no longer had the heart to correct him. He held his forehead and said weakly, “Do whatever you want. As long as you’re comfortable. I really am going to sleep. Good night.”
Fu Jingqiu smiled at him. “Okay. Good night. See you tomorrow.”
Jiang Qingyu no longer remembered how he had fallen asleep that night. He only remembered that his dreams were full of big-chested men with very good figures wearing black tight-fitting clothes and walking back and forth in front of him.
The big-chested man had no face, but his speech was very considerate. He kept asking Jiang Qingyu what he was doing, what he was thinking, and how his mood was.
He swayed back and forth endlessly.
This bizarre dream caused Jiang Qingyu, who usually loved sleeping in, to get up unusually early. After opening his eyes, he quickly lost all sleepiness.
At a time like this, staying in bed would only be painful. Jiang Qingyu made a prompt decision and got up to change clothes and wash.
However, even though he had deliberately made his movements very light, he still woke Fu Jingqiu, who had indeed slept bare-chested and very soundly.
The other party was clearly much more alert. In just a few breaths, his originally dazed eyes instantly became clear. He got up and dressed without any sluggishness, greeting Jiang Qingyu at the same time. “Morning.”
“Morning.” After the “desensitization training” in his dream, Jiang Qingyu was much calmer upon seeing Fu Jingqiu bare-chested again. “Do you want to go to the morning market later? I’m too lazy to make breakfast. We can eat there and see if there’s anything to buy.”
Fu Jingqiu readily agreed. “Sure.”
The temperature in the morning was still a little low. Considering that his body would warm up after eating later, Jiang Qingyu did not wear too much. Outside, he still wore a hardshell jacket, obediently zipping it up and wrapping himself tightly in it. He parked the vehicle nearby first, then walked over on foot.
The morning market was unusually lively, making Jiang Qingyu feel as if he were seeing the scene from his childhood, when he had gone to market fairs with his grandparents. There were fruits, pastries, and meat, not to mention stalls selling clothes and even tissues. There was too much to take in, and everything one could need was there.
Moreover, the goods were very affordable and of good quality.
He saw many stalls selling sand onions. Thinking of the stir-fried beef with sand onions he had eaten these past few days, the delicious memory returned to his mind. He immediately turned to Fu Jingqiu and said, “Buy more of this.”
They were delicious for stir-frying and for making flatbread.
Fu Jingqiu said okay. Seeing Jiang Qingyu’s gaze linger for a while on the stall selling sugar-roasted chestnuts nearby, he remembered that Jiang Qingyu seemed to have bought them a few days ago too. He had sat by the living room, basking in the sunlight while peeling and eating them, smiling cheerfully. Clearly, he liked them very much. Fu Jingqiu immediately went forward, took out his phone, scanned the code to pay, and bought a heavy bag back.
Jiang Qingyu had not even reacted when the warm oil-paper package fell into his arms. He raised his eyes to look at the other man. “Ah?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “Eat them as snacks when you have time.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “Oh, oh. Thank you.”
He liked eating chestnuts warm. He casually reached into the oil-paper bag. The chestnuts were very large, all pre-cut in advance, so they were easy to peel. The flesh had been roasted until the surface looked like tiger skin, dense, fragrant, and sweet.
Jiang Qingyu also stuffed some into Fu Jingqiu’s hand for him to eat. The other man did not stand on ceremony. For a while, they were not even in a hurry to eat breakfast, instead eating chestnuts while strolling around and first taking a look at what was available.
There were especially many stalls selling spices at the morning market. Everything had been cleaned properly, and the prices were fair. Jiang Qingyu silently took notes in his heart: this is good, come back later to buy it.
There were also things like Helan Mountain and Qilian Mountain mushrooms. Huge clusters were piled into baskets, looking thick and fleshy. They would probably be very delicious when stewed with meat.
Jiang Qingyu did not know which place of origin tasted better. The vendor praised them so extravagantly that Jiang Qingyu did not know whether he should believe him, so he simply bought some of both. He paid first and would come back later to pick them up.
He was not worried that they would deny it. These bosses all knew one another, and now everyone had business cards and public accounts. If anything really happened, he could directly follow the address and find them.
There were quite a lot of fruit sellers at the morning market. There were all kinds of grapes, looking fresh and juicy, with full flesh, displayed in rows of baskets.
In front of the baskets was a handwritten sign with extremely bold and flowing characters: No charge if they’re not sweet.
There were also people driving three-wheeled carts to sell pastries. Red bean bread larger than a person’s head, layered like flower rolls, was spread thickly with filling. It came in super solid large bags, and upon asking the price, it was shockingly cheap.
People who ate well and drank well every day might not necessarily want to eat this, but later on, that might not be the case. It was high-calorie and filling. Seeing that Jiang Qingyu was a little hesitant, the auntie took the initiative to offer him a sample. Jiang Qingyu tasted it and found that it was not the kind of sweetness that cloyed the throat.
Taking advantage of the moment when Fu Jingqiu went next door to buy roasted buns, Jiang Qingyu readily paid the auntie and more or less bought out the entire cart of bread and pastries. The auntie was so delighted that she could not close her mouth, continuously praising him as a handsome and straightforward young man.
Jiang Qingyu had not even reacted before he was nearly knocked dizzy by a basketful of compliments. If Fu Jingqiu had not arrived in time to rescue him, he probably would have been pulled aside by the auntie to chat for a while longer.
Fu Jingqiu picked out the beef roasted bun and handed it to him. “You bought everything on her cart? No wonder she was so enthusiastic.”
“…” You discovered the truth.
Fine. Now the question was, how was he going to send Fu Jingqiu away and haul so many goods back to the vehicle?
While eating breakfast tea, Jiang Qingyu was still thinking about this problem.
In truth, he had already paid several sums just now. Fruits, spices, mushrooms, cistanche, and so on. Following the idea that they might come in handy someday, he had not held back at all when buying.
He had told the bosses that he would eat breakfast and then drive over to haul the goods. It would not be good to make them wait too long.
Should he have the system add a storage compartment under the RV and say it was a place for bicycles? In any case, there would be no lights inside, so it would be pitch-black. He could just stuff things directly inside, right?
But in that case, he would have to keep consuming these supplies afterward. No, that would not do.
The breakfast tea shop’s proprietress quickly and efficiently brought over the items they had ordered earlier. Salty milk tea was the main feature. One could add milk skin, cheese, fruit strips, and even beef into it. With fried rice as the base, it tasted fragrant and crispy, with a very rich flavor.
The vegetarian pan-fried buns were so delicious. The egg filling inside had been stir-fried beforehand and came in large chunks, making it very satisfying to eat. With the addition of glass noodles, it became even more delicious. Jiang Qingyu temporarily set aside his worries and ate while bobbing his head happily, even unable to spare time to speak to Fu Jingqiu. He simply kept giving him a thumbs up.
Fu Jingqiu helped speak for him. “It tastes very good.”
Jiang Qingyu’s cheeks were bulging, and he subconsciously glanced in the direction of the proprietress.
He was not greedy. Being able to buy a few hundred would be enough.
So, using the excuse of ordering more and refilling the milk tea, Jiang Qingyu slipped over to the counter and asked. The proprietress was ticking off an order list at the time. Hearing this, she looked up at him in surprise. “A few hundred?”
Jiang Qingyu nodded. “Mm-hm, a few hundred.”
“…” The proprietress said, “No, I’m asking how many hundreds you want. Three hundred or five hundred?”
“Oh, oh, oh.” Jiang Qingyu pressed his lips together and smiled embarrassedly, then held up a few fingers to the proprietress. “Would five hundred be okay?”
The proprietress readily pulled out the payment code and placed it in front of Jiang Qingyu. “Sure. Pay here. Come pick them up this afternoon. I’ll also give you two insulated boxes.” She gestured. “Big ones.”
So nice!
Jiang Qingyu was delighted. “Thank you, boss lady. The food at your place really is delicious.”
The proprietress might not have reacted much if he praised anything else, but when it came to this, she immediately perked up. She instantly put down the little notebook she was using to mark orders and led Jiang Qingyu to the open kitchen window. “Of course! Let me tell you, the food here is not only delicious, it’s also very clean. It’s all laid out here, and anyone can look. Safety and hygiene are guaranteed, and the ingredients are incredibly fresh! I personally drive out every morning to haul them back. I don’t want anything inferior!”
Jiang Qingyu was infected by her lively pride and followed along with a few more compliments. For a moment, he got carried away and forgot that he had secretly slipped over. Back and forth, both sides chatted very happily.
When he returned to his seat after chatting, sure enough, he saw Fu Jingqiu staring at him. “I didn’t expect you to be quite extroverted.”
Not really.
Jiang Qingyu somewhat guiltily touched his nose. “It’s okay. The boss lady is pretty enthusiastic.”
Fu Jingqiu was extremely sharp. Seeing Jiang Qingyu secretly sizing him up, he took the initiative to ask, “Is there something?”
Jiang Qingyu was still guilty. He felt that what he was about to say seemed a little too distant, but the fact was that it really was not very convenient.
He hemmed and hawed, not knowing how to begin.
Seeing him like this, Fu Jingqiu thought Jiang Qingyu had some unspeakable difficulty and even deliberately softened his voice. “What’s wrong? Just say whatever you want to say. There’s no need to feel embarrassed.”
Jiang Qingyu mentally pressed his fingers together. “Um, well, do you still remember what we talked about last night?”
Fu Jingqiu said, “I remember.”
Jiang Qingyu said, “Later, I want to go handle some things. It might be, well, not very convenient, mm…”
Fu Jingqiu immediately understood. “It’s a private matter and not very convenient for outsiders to know, right?”
Jiang Qingyu said, “It’s not that I’m saying you’re an outsider, but…”
He started with a tone as if he wanted to search for a nicer way to say it so Fu Jingqiu would not be hurt by his words. But after holding that breath in his chest for a long time, he truly did not know how to say it. In the end, he let it out dejectedly. “Fine. It seems that’s what I mean.”
Fu Jingqiu said frankly, “It’s all right. That’s a small matter. If you have something to handle, just go. We only need to decide on a meeting place.”
Jiang Qingyu, however, did not continue.
He furrowed his brows, his expression thoughtful. It was as if he had become absent-minded, yet also as if he were listening to someone speak, his expression very serious.
Fu Jingqiu did not understand. He followed along and furrowed his brows in confusion, but he did not rashly interrupt Jiang Qingyu. He held his breath slightly and waited for what Jiang Qingyu would say next.
Originally, Jiang Qingyu had wanted to apologetically say that he needed to drive the vehicle away, and that Fu Jingqiu could wander nearby and help buy some things or something.
Although that sounded a little like he was going to ditch him and run off, Jiang Qingyu had no choice. The space was bound to the RV. If he left the vehicle with Fu Jingqiu, then it would be equivalent to bringing him along to drive and haul goods. Everything would still be exposed.
But things were just that coincidental.
Just as he was once again struggling hard to find the right words, the system’s notification sounded in his mind.
Over the past two days, he had been so busy his feet barely touched the ground, and he had not had time to check how far the experience bar had climbed. The surprise came just in time.
He! Had! Leveled! Up!
And! The binding function had refreshed!
Of course, he was also very tempted by the other option.
Considering the exhaustion of travel and long periods of running around, the RV had refreshed an upgraded health and entertainment module for the player to enjoy.
Within the module were facilities such as a hot spring pool, essential oil spa, traditional Chinese massage, moxibustion, sauna room, and more, all intended to give the player the best relaxation experience.
Ask, who could hear about these and not be tempted?
After driving all day, soaking in a hot spring at night, getting a spa treatment, putting on some atmosphere-filled music, and pairing it with some fruit and red wine—for Jiang Qingyu, that was practically the peak.
But at the moment, what he needed most was the binding function.
After this upgrade, the RV could stay parked where it was. When Jiang Qingyu went out to purchase supplies or haul goods, he could directly send them into the space without anyone knowing.
Fu Jingqiu could do his own things in the vehicle and keep Meimei company, while Jiang Qingyu went out and frantically purchased and stockpiled supplies.
With tears in his heart, Jiang Qingyu gave up his hot spring and sauna room and chose to upgrade the binding function.
Thus, Fu Jingqiu saw a series of wonderful expressions on Jiang Qingyu’s face: confusion, temptation, struggle, and finally relaxation, as he let out a breath as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
His soul, which had been wandering beyond the heavens, returned. Jiang Qingyu lowered his head and took a bite of a vegetarian pan-fried bun. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Just wait for me in the vehicle. I’ll only go out for a little while. Once I’m done handling things, I’ll come back. It’ll be quick.”
As he spoke, he even pushed the salty milk tea toward Fu Jingqiu. “Didn’t you say this tastes very good? Drink more. Otherwise, we can pack two portions later.”
With the problem solved, he continued happily eating, sipping the milk tea in small mouthfuls. At the same time, he raised his eyes and used his gaze to urge Fu Jingqiu. Looking upward like that made his eyes appear round and bright, and he looked especially obedient.
Only then did Fu Jingqiu slowly start drinking the milk tea.
It was only a small matter. Jiang Qingyu really did not need to be so solemn about it.
He reported it in advance, then explained and comforted him.
Fu Jingqiu’s thoughts could not be called especially delicate, but Jiang Qingyu’s actions truly made him feel that his mood and emotions had been cared for and properly settled.
In truth, originally, he had planned to simply drift along with the current.
