He comes back
At ten o'clock in the evening, Zhuang Jinghao was called by his brother to walk the dog.
The heat was unbearable, and the two of them were sweating as they walked side by side.
The brother and sister hadn't walked the dog together for a long time. Zhuang Jinghao found it unusual. After holding it in for the whole journey, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Brother, do you have something to say to me?"
Zhuang Yu calmed her down and said, "I think Zuo Xiao is almost able to take care of herself. Let's find a time to send her back."
Zhuang Jing took a short breath, stopped, and asked, "Isn't she doing well in our house? Why do we want to kick her out?"
"I'm not chasing her away." Zhuang Yu'an also stopped and explained in a deep voice, "It's inconvenient for her as a girl to live here. And have you forgotten that she has a boyfriend? Even if she needs personal care, it should be Luffy who does it."
"That's two different things!" she blurted out. "Luffy is her boyfriend, and we are her friends. It's not an either-or relationship! Besides... Luffy doesn't seem like he's very caring. Of course, we take better care of him!"
She stared at her brother with burning eyes, and in the moonlight, she saw a hint of bitterness between his eyebrows.
"Jinghao, you need to change your perspective." He said, "I am a man, and there is a conflict between me and Luffy. Do you understand?"
Zhuang Jinghao's face changed, and she instantly understood what her brother meant. She moved her lips, but could not say anything.
She had completely forgotten that her brother had a gender. He was her brother, but not Zuo Xiao's. Perhaps, in the eyes of others, Zuo Xiao living with her brother was problematic?
That's not right! Eric is also a man, doesn't he live with Zuo Xiao?
"So what if you're a man?" she argued anxiously. "Who says men and women can't be friends? Can't they live in the same house?"
These words earned a wry smile from his brother. He thought for a moment and said, "Put yourself in his shoes: if you were Luffy, would you mind?"
Zhuang Jinghao was speechless.
The brother raised his hand and touched her head, saying gently, "I promise you, I asked Zuo Xiao to move out not because I had any dissatisfaction with her. Now and in the future, I will treat her as a friend and help her to the best of my ability. Okay?"
Late at night, Zhuang Jinghao sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the person lying on the bed.
She was wearing a matching slip dress, a lavender silk embroidered with clusters of pink and white bluebells. The dress was beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as she was. It was stunning...
She couldn't help but move closer and lie down next to her.
"What's up? Are you worried?" The man she was hugging sneered, "Are you missing a man?"
"No..." She sniffed and smelled the faint rose scent among the black hair, and suddenly felt a little aggrieved.
They are such good friends, why can't they live together?
She felt a bitter taste in her throat and said sullenly, "Brother Luffy will be back from his hometown next week."
Zuo Xiao was stunned: "So?"
"So..." Zhuang Jinghao bit her lip and said after a moment's hesitation, "Isn't it better for him to take care of you?"
Zuo Xiao fell silent. Zhuang Jinghao was nervous, afraid she might overthink things. Just as she was about to explain, she heard her say, "Did your brother say that?"
"Yes..." Zhuang Jinghao said gloomily, "He said that if you continue to live in our house, Brother Luffy will mind..."
Zuo Xiao didn't say anything, so she quickly explained, "But my brother doesn't have any opinion about you! He even said that from now on he will treat you as a very good friend... Don't blame him, okay?"
Suddenly, I heard a sneer. Looking up, I saw Zuo Xiao with his lips curled up, a playful look on his face.
"Your brother is afraid that Luffy will be jealous, right?" Zuo Xiao sneered.
"That should be it..." Zhuang Jinghao muttered, "Put yourself in his shoes. If Chen Liqing took you to live with him, I would definitely be jealous. Although I know you two are innocent, and I'm nothing, so I have no right to be jealous..."
"Haha. No wonder you were so anxious to bring me home. You were afraid I'd end up living in Chen Liqing's house, weren't you?"
"No!" she defended anxiously, "I really want to take care of you!" As she spoke, a deep bitterness rose in her heart, and her voice was choked with sobs, "And..."
She said hesitantly: "I like you and want to live with you..."
"You're such a clingy person." Zuo Xiao ruffled her hair with his fingers and said with a smile, "Please find a relationship quickly, otherwise I'm really afraid that you'll become a lesbian, and I won't be able to enjoy you!"
"Hate it!" She knew she was joking, grabbed her hand, and gently bit her index finger, "Don't call me a lesbian!"
The two of them played around for a while. Zhuang Jinghao suggested sleeping together, and Zuo Xiao didn't refuse. Before going to bed, she said lightly, "Then I'll go home tomorrow."
The next day was Monday. Zhuang Jinghao woke up and texted her boss to ask for leave. When she arrived at the restaurant, she found that breakfast was already prepared, but her brother was nowhere to be seen.
In the morning, Zuo Xiao was escorted back to the rental house by Zhuang Jinghao.
As soon as he sat down, he heard the sound of an electric drill. Zhuang Jinghao frowned and said, "Why don't we go to a nearby hotel and get a room?"
"It's okay." Zuo Xiao said nonchalantly, "Just hang out in the cafe during the day."
Zhuang Jinghao felt uncomfortable: "That's so inconvenient... How about asking Brother Luffy when he will be back?"
"Don't ask." Zuo Xiao said, "I don't plan to live with him."
"Ah? Why?"
Zuo Xiao curled her lips: "I'm not ready to live with him yet."
Zhuang Jing was extremely embarrassed. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "How about... living at Chen Liqing's house?"
"Pfft..." Zuo Xiao laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. "You're amazing! I'll make you a banner: Selfless and a model of morality!"
As he was talking, his cell phone rang. Zuo Xiao picked it up and saw that it was Luffy calling.
Ten minutes later, Luffy walked through the door.
Zuo Xiao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Where did you go to overcome the tribulation?"
Zhuang Jinghao stood at the door and looked at Luffy, and couldn't help feeling a lump in his throat: he saw that his face was obviously thinner and his chin was pointed.
Luffy took off his shoes and walked towards the sofa on the wooden floor with his bare feet.
"Something happened at home, but it's over now." He said lightly, sat down next to Zuo Xiao, stretched out an arm to hold him in his arms, and kissed the top of his head.
Zhuang Jinghao felt his face flush and he said awkwardly, "Then you guys chat, I'm leaving first."
She left in such a hurry that she would have forgotten to take her bag if Zuo Xiao hadn't reminded her.
After the door closed, Luffy held Zuo Xiao's face with his other hand and leaned in to kiss her.
His movements were gentle, but his breathing was rapid, unlike his usual ease. Zuo Xiao felt something was amiss and gently pushed him away.
"what happens?"
Luffy stared deeply into her eyes, his eyes gradually turning red.
"My grandfather passed away." He looked sad. "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would worry."
Zuo Xiao was slightly moved, feeling a pity, but she couldn't really say she was deeply saddened. She had never considered herself to have much empathy, and facing the passing of an elderly stranger she had never met, whose name she didn't even know, it was difficult for her to feel any genuine grief.
But the loneliness in Luffy's eyes was real, and his obviously thin and haggard face made him look a little pitiful and in need of comfort.
She stroked his cheek and said softly, "My condolences." She couldn't say anything more.
At this moment, the sound of the electric drill started again. Luffy took the opportunity to suggest, "How about we go to my house?"
Zuo Xiao went home with him and was soon carried to bed. She felt a long-awaited release, and if her injured foot hadn't affected their performance, she would have enjoyed it even more.
Luffy had takeout for lunch and said he would bear with it for now, and would ask the restaurant chef to come to his house to cook starting tonight.
After dinner, he carried her to the sofa, let her rest her head on his legs, and told her many past stories.
He said he saw his father and teacher kissing in a corner while in kindergarten. He complained to his mother, but she said he'd seen it wrong. The next day, the teacher's ribs were broken and he was expelled from the kindergarten soon after. Later, he gradually understood that his parents had come together out of self-interest, and for years, they had been playing their own games, maintaining a superficial peace, and more than one or two of them had had their ribs broken.
He also explained that he had a serious illness as a child and nearly died. Since then, his mother has been desperate for a backup, but his father hasn't been proactive. He actually had another son, but unfortunately, that boy was in a car accident before he was five. His father later conceived a new child, and now his brother is fourteen, and his mother remains in the dark. As for whether she has another backup, he doesn't know, and he has no interest in finding out.
He also said that his grandparents were the only ones who truly loved him. They cared about what he experienced at school, remembered what he liked, and were willing to coax him back to sleep when he woke up from nightmares in the middle of the night. But now, the people who truly loved him are no longer in this world...
Zuo Xiao felt as if she were listening to a story. Luffy's family situation was far too complicated; she had only encountered such outrageous plots in novels and TV dramas. Not knowing what to say, she reached out and took his hand, gently kneading it in her arms.
"Thank you for listening to me talk so much." Luffy looked down at her with a faint smile in his eyes, "Thank you for not acting surprised."
"Actually, I've said 'fuck' many times in my heart." Zuo Xiao smiled and asked, "Why are you suddenly saying this to me?"
Luffy brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, "I want my girlfriend to get to know me better."
Zuo Xiao thought for a moment and said, "But what you just told me about was your family, not you."
She pulled her hand out, gently touched his brow with her index finger, and then slowly moved it down.
"Why do different trees grow and produce different fruits on the same piece of land? Because every seed is different," she said. "I don't care about the land or the trees around it. I just want to know what kind of tree you are and whether your fruit is delicious."
Luffy was stunned. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Then you should try it more."
So this afternoon, he let her taste it again. Afterwards, she lay on the bed, touched his chest, and commented, "This fruit is too dry and woody. I think the taste is just average."
"Sorry, it's my fault." He smiled. "Give me some time. I'll make sure you're satisfied."
"Yeah," she warned, "Don't use technology, don't take those steroids...the side effects of those things are terrible, you should learn about them."
"Yes, sir."
The two were being affectionate with each other when suddenly Luffy's cell phone rang in the living room.
After a while, he came back:
"Has your stupid ex-boyfriend contacted you recently?"
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