Chapter 53 N-Time
Chu Beiling didn't think too much about it and handed the cigarettes and lighter to Xing Yu directly.
He had just handed it out when he pulled his hand back, but Xing Yu had already taken it before him and tossed the cigarette and lighter onto the passenger seat.
Chu Beiling: "..."
Perhaps because he couldn't stand any bad habits, even when their relationship was just so-so, Xing Yu would keep an eye on him to prevent him from swearing.
Now they're watching him closely to prevent him from smoking. Habits are truly terrifying things, even after so many years—
He would subconsciously do whatever Chu Beiling or Xing Yu said, and by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.
Xing Yu tapped the steering wheel absently with his fingers: "You've even learned to smoke now?!"
Cigarettes and alcohol, and the swear words that slipped out unconsciously when I was young.
Compared to Chu Beiling's self-imposed exile, Xing Yu truly practiced extreme self-discipline. He didn't smoke, and only drank alcohol during social occasions, avoiding it unless absolutely necessary.
The most serious thing Chu Beiling heard was "Get out."
After a long silence, Chu Beiling spoke the truth: "I don't smoke often, just once in a while."
He could control himself from taking vortioxetine, but he still needed an outlet to vent his bad emotions. The strong, bitter nicotine was the best pastime for him, and it also gave his empty soul some substance.
However, he doesn't keep cigarettes or lighters with him; he only buys them when he remembers them or sees them.
Just now at the convenience store, Chu Beiling glanced at the oden and found that he didn't want to eat it. He had no interest in bread, biscuits, or other snacks either, so he simply didn't eat them and grabbed a cigarette instead.
Let's just wait for Xing Yu to pass the time.
Xing Yu: "It's best not to touch it."
A light drizzle began to fall again, accompanied by a few muffled claps of thunder. In the dim, fuzzy light, Chu Beiling glanced sideways and stared directly at him: "In what capacity are you telling me this now?"
"What identity? What, identity?" Xing Yu scoffed lightly: "President Chu, what identity do you think would be more appropriate for me to say this?"
What kind of relationship could they possibly have? A simple "friends" would suffice.
But he wouldn't have it; he had to ask him the same question.
As Xing Yu herself said, it's impossible for her to pretend nothing happened and remain friends with her ex-boyfriend.
But if Chu Beiling hadn't seen Xing Yu's work and living environment, she might have really thought that way and believed it.
If you didn't care at all, why would you replicate his past living environment around you?
Chu Beiling was determined to get something out of Xing Yu, this stubborn mule.
A hint of scrutiny flickered in Chu Beiling's eyes: "What kind of identity do you want?"
Xing Yu still didn't answer the question, his gaze fixed on him: "What do you think I want!"
The two of them went back and forth, asking questions without offering any answers, and it seemed like the conversation would go on forever.
Chu Beiling quickly changed the subject and got straight to the reason for coming here: "Give me the medicine box."
"I left it at home and didn't bring it with me, so you have to come home with me."
Before he could respond, Xing Yu drove past him, skidding past his car and turning into the residential area. Chu Beiling swallowed hard, turned his car around, and followed him.
The car is still parked in the same spot it was in this morning, next to Xing Yu's suit-clad thugs.
The two got out of the car together. Chu Beiling glanced at the parking space behind them and asked, "Is it okay for me to park here?"
Xing Yu threw the cigarette butt, along with the recently opened cigarettes and lighter, into the trash can, then turned to him and said, "They're all mine."
Chu Beiling twitched the corners of her mouth, a sour feeling creeping into her heart.
In mid- to high-end residential communities, parking spaces need to be purchased or leased. Garages may offer free parking spaces, but they are limited in number and located in relatively far locations.
Xing Yu has two parking spaces by himself, and even though Xu Zeyi works in Shanghai, he still reserved one parking space for him.
Chu Beiling's thoughts were racing, filled with both sadness and jealousy.
The two went upstairs together, with Xing Yu going in first.
The urge to pry information out of him had vanished completely, and Chu Beiling regained her composure and didn't follow him inside: "I'll wait outside. Please take it out for me, thank you."
Xing Yu turned around without saying a word, his cold, dark eyes staring straight at him, a look that seemed both seductive and provocative.
Feeling guilty under his gaze, Chu Beiling's Adam's apple bobbed as he looked away from his burning eyes. If he looked any longer, he would be tempted to grope him again.
After calming down for a moment, he said, "Wh-what's wrong!"
Xing Yu chuckled lightly: "You are quite polite."
Just as Chu Beiling was about to say something, Xing Yu said quietly, "Come in and get it yourself."
He ignored him and went inside.
After hesitating for a moment, Chu Beiling stepped into the house and changed into the slippers she had worn that morning in the entryway before following him to the dining room.
"Can I have the medicine box now?"
"You just got off work?" Xing Yu opened the refrigerator, turned around, and asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"
Chu Beiling hasn't eaten since having brunch at Xing Yu's place during the day. He used to eat whatever he wanted, but in recent years he's lost the ability to feel hunger and rarely feels hungry.
After Xing Yu mentioned it, he suddenly realized that he was starving.
“No, I’ll eat it when I get back,” Chu Beiling insisted, “Give me the medicine box first.”
Xing Yu glanced at his watch and said, "Let's eat before you go. It'll be almost 11 o'clock when you get back. Where should we eat?"
Chu Beiling probably wouldn't eat it when he got back, so he smiled casually and said, "Domestic and international food delivery should be convenient."
Xing Yu asked bluntly, "You're not picky about food anymore?"
"..."
He's not just not picky about food anymore; he's probably feeling guilty and afraid Xing Yu will discover something. Chu Beiling didn't insist anymore. "What are you planning to do?"
"Just something to eat," Xing Yu asked. "How about tomato and egg noodles?"
"Eat." Chu Beiling nodded and then asked, "Do you need any help?"
Xing Yu filled a kettle with water and placed it aside to boil: "No need, it'll be ready soon."
Chu Beiling didn't leave. She leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Xing Yu take two tomatoes and a few eggs from the refrigerator and a bag of noodles from the cupboard before turning around and getting busy at the stove.
Soon, the air was filled with the aroma of stir-fried pork belly. Then, Xing Yu poured the beaten egg mixture into the oil pan, fried the eggs until cooked, and placed them in a ceramic bowl. Next, he replaced them with tomatoes.
For some reason, Chu Beiling suddenly remembered that many years ago at Grandma Chen's house in Zhalongkou, he was also leaning against the edge of the kitchen counter watching Xing Yu make sweet and sour pork ribs with his back to him.
That same day, he asked Xing Yu about his future plans and his promise to stay with him for life.
At that time, all he wanted was for Xing Yu not to be so lonely, and when they promised to be together forever, it really was forever.
But he ultimately broke his promise.
Perhaps it was because we were too naive when we were young that we thought a lifetime really could last a lifetime and that nothing would ever change.
Ten years ago, he never imagined he would be like this today—
He neither followed Xing Yu closely nor did he work on animation.
Completely contrary to the truth.
Even though they are both in related industries, they are always going in opposite directions.
Chu Beiling broke the silence: "Do you come home this late every night?"
"Didn't you just get off work too?" Xing Yu's voice was mixed with the whirring of the range hood: "There's no way around it in this industry, especially when there are projects, it only gets busier."
From their student days, they have been drawing day and night, and they also squeeze in time to study. Now they are even busier than they were in their student days.
The kettle popped open with a "clatter," and Xing Yu poured boiling water into the pot. He had just reached out to grab a handful of noodles to put in when Chu Beiling stopped him: "Too much, less."
Xing Yu put some down, and Chu Beiling said, "A little less."
Xing Yu put some more down, there wasn't much left in his hand: "Isn't that too little?!"
Chu Beiling still said, "A little less."
Xing Yu put some more noodles down, but it was still too much for him, so Chu Beiling simply grabbed a handful of noodles and put them into the pot himself.
"You're eating so little?" Xing Yu glanced at it and saw only twenty or thirty pieces, less than the stray cats he fed downstairs in the neighborhood.
Chu Beiling's Adam's apple bobbed, and he explained guiltily, "It's too late. I don't want to eat much tonight. I'm trying to stay healthy."
Xing Yu nodded, without saying anything more.
After a while, the two leaned against the edge of the kitchen counter side by side without saying a word.
The pot was bubbling away, and Chu Beiling opened his mouth, wanting to ask Grandma Chen a question.
But... he didn't know how to ask. A while ago, he went to Zhalongkou and the neighbors said that Grandma Chen had moved out five years ago, and they didn't know how she was doing now.
Xing Yu looked at him and said calmly, "Say what you want to say."
Chu Beiling has always been outspoken, and Xing Yu, as always, can always sense that he has something to say but hesitates.
"How is Grandma Chen?" Chu Beiling's Adam's apple bobbed. "Is she alright?"
He wasn't sure, after all, ten years had passed, and Grandma Chen was already quite old back then.
“She’s still in relatively good health, but she doesn’t recognize people anymore. I’m too busy to take care of her, so I hired a caregiver to look after her at home. But Grandma Chen can’t stay at home; she’ll run away if the caregiver isn’t paying attention. So I had no choice but to send her to a nursing home. There, she’s under centralized care and has dedicated caregivers, which is much safer than staying at home.”
Xing Yu asked, "I'm planning to visit her tomorrow, do you want to come with me?"
"Okay." Chu Beiling's Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked again, "Does Grandma Chen have Alzheimer's?"
Xing Yu poured the eggs into the pot and nodded.
Back then, Grandma Chen would occasionally forget things, but he didn't think much of it, assuming it was just because she was getting old. Now it seems there were some signs back then.
Chu Beiling felt a lump in her throat. The cold years had not been kind to this kind old woman, causing her to lose the love of her life when she was young.
Grandma Chen, who lost her beloved, never married in her life, and in her old age, she was trapped in time and could no longer escape it.
Xing Yu seemed to sense his low spirits and smiled, "Don't be sad, there's nothing to be sad about. Grandma Chen's memories are currently stuck in her twenties when she was deeply in love with her boyfriend. She is willing to be trapped in time."
Chu Beiling was both shocked and understanding, just like when Grandma Chen told her story about herself and her man back then.
It cannot be expressed in words.
Not knowing what to say, Chu Beiling could only nod.
The noodles were ready. Xing Yu scooped them out into a bowl and placed them on a tray. He pointed to the sterilizer and said, "Get some chopsticks."
Chu Beiling took two pairs of chopsticks from the sterilizer, walked to the dining table, and sat down opposite him.
The table was set with the simplest tomato and egg noodles, with no extra ingredients besides pork belly. Chu Beiling stared at the noodles, his thoughts drifting away again.
"Chu Fanfan, stop spacing out." Xing Yu tapped the table.
Chu Beiling snapped out of her daze and habitually picked all the fatty meat into his bowl, then picked up a piece of tomato and stuffed it into her mouth; it was sweet and sour.
Xing Yu's skills are still as good as ever.
Only after realizing that Xing Yu was staring at him did Chu Beiling belatedly realize what he had just done.
He explained, "I haven't eaten it before, and I haven't even touched the chopsticks."
Xing Yu lifted his eyelids and said casually, "Everything you ate before ended up in my mouth, so why would I complain!"
Chu Beiling's heart suddenly started pounding wildly. He buried his head in his noodles, almost burying his face in the bowl. Xing Yu reached out and lifted his chin: "Aren't you afraid of choking to death?"
Chu Beiling slapped his hand away and couldn't help but complain, "Just eat your food~ What's with staring at me like that?!"
Xing Yu couldn't help but chuckle, and Chu Beiling glared at him.
Their eyes met, and in just a moment, the ambiguous and romantic atmosphere vanished into thin air.
Chu Beiling lowered his head again, and even though he felt Xing Yu's direct gaze, he didn't look up again.
After finishing his noodles, Xing Yu tossed the dishes into the dishwasher, glanced at the wall clock, and said to him, "It's late. We're going to visit Grandma Chen tomorrow. Do you want to stay tonight?"
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