The alcohol poisoning hasn't healed yet.
There are many inconveniences to Jonathan staying at the Jiang family villa.
For example, even though Jiang Songhe was resting in his room upstairs, he was changing clothes in the guest room downstairs, using concealer to cover up the dark circles under his eyes caused by insomnia and the pimple that had appeared due to the change in environment, and he still felt sneaky and uncomfortable.
The unfamiliar situation of being dependent on others made him feel very insecure, even though the other party was Jiang Songhe.
Staying in a top-tier hotel is far more comfortable, both physically and psychologically. He wasn't necessarily determined to stay, and he was still not completely appeased by Jiang Songhe's stubborn denials of his various misdeeds.
He should have maintained the mystery and pride of a top celebrity, but when he saw Jiang Songhe's lonely figure with his shoulders slightly hunched, and the dust cloths scattered everywhere in the huge villa like band-aids, he suddenly felt very sad, and his bottom line collapsed.
This perfect appearance now resembles a cage.
Inside were capricious sparrows, which would flap their wings and sing when watched, and sigh when ignored.
He thought he must be bewitched.
Perhaps it was because, after seventeen years, he returned to Jingting and felt more and more that Jiang Songhe was like the shadow in his dream. He couldn't help but identify with her and empathize with her. He couldn't bear being rejected by her, and at the same time, he couldn't bear being discovered by her that he wasn't good enough.
I want companionship, care, and validation.
This proves that he is no longer that dirty little brat, no longer anyone's burden, and no longer someone who will be hastily abandoned.
...
At 8:00 AM Jingting time, Jonathan emerged from his guest room looking refreshed and ordered Vasin to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling window as a human support.
He recorded a video explaining his absence from the Star Show rematch no less than twenty times. He felt it wasn't handsome enough or natural enough. By the twenty-first recording, his smile had gone numb and he felt like throwing something at the ground.
The doorbell rang, and Jonathan snapped out of his trance and silently put the vase back in its place.
"Have you received the cake and gift that I asked your brother Lang to order?"
After resting for an hour, Jiang Songhe looked better. Although she still needed to use the handrail to go downstairs, her steps were much lighter.
"Yes, it's the pair of sneakers I didn't have time to buy for you before going to Maner." Jiang Songhe said on the phone, his voice soft and affectionate, masking his weak breath. "You're already wearing them? Heh, I hope that besides your 'great' skills, you also have a smooth journey to the finals..."
The stairwell is located between the entrance hall and the living room. Jiang Songhe went downstairs but did not look into the living room. Instead, she went straight to the door.
Oh right, today is Jiang Songyun's birthday. No wonder Jiang Songhe is so gentle.
The morning light made the two necklaces stacked on her chest a little dazzling. Jonathan tucked the necklaces and rings into her collar, slumped her shoulders, smiled nonchalantly, and snapped her fingers at Vasin: "One more time."
During the twenty-second recording, Jonah's mind cleared up unexpectedly smoothly, except for a slight pause at the end, which was accompanied by an off-screen voice.
"Time to eat." Jonathan dragged the video progress bar to the last segment, watched it finish, turned up the volume, and then dragged it back a little. "Time to eat."
After repeating this process several times, Jonathan simply tossed the phone to Vasin and said, "Just send it like this."
Following the barely perceptible sound of slippers, I arrived at the restaurant and pulled up a chair to sit down at a corner of a table piled high with food.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Jiang Songhe had taken a shower sometime during the day. Her half-dry hair hung down smoothly, a stark contrast to the cold and aloof image she was known for. Coupled with her sickly appearance, she seemed somewhat fragile and easy to bully.
Jonathan bit her lip, lowered her head, and turned to look at the food on the table. The takeout containers on the table contained a variety of Cantonese dim sum, some savory, some sweet, some soupy, and some porridge.
Jonathan had mentioned to Jiang Songhe that he had once lived in eastern Guangdong with his mother. However, during that period, he was homeless and uncertain about his livelihood, and he almost never had the opportunity to enjoy such high-end and exquisite tea and snacks as the ones in front of him.
After achieving both fame and fortune, I went to eastern Guangdong and ate there, but I'm not sure if it can compare to the delicious taste I imagined as a child.
But he still remembers that he felt warm inside, and that was another kind of sweetness.
“I didn’t know what you liked to eat, so I ordered a little bit of everything.” Jiang Songhe opened the last food container and pushed it toward Jonathan. Then she took out a small pink and blue candle from her pajama pocket and stuck it on a steamed shumai in the food container. “It’s too early, the cake shop isn’t open yet.”
He then pulled out a lighter from another pocket and lit the candle: "Make do with this for now, then eat it while it's hot."
Jonathan had made a wish an hour earlier, and it only came true halfway. So this time, he didn't speak, but formally put his hands together, closed his eyes, and made the wish again. Then he opened his eyes and blew out the candlelight that was stretched out by starlight in his vision.
Jiang Songhe rubbed the embossed design on the lighter's casing, then put it in his pajama pocket and said, "Let's invite him over too. I ordered two portions; that should be enough for you."
"If there are leftovers, put them in the refrigerator. If there are no leftovers, just tie them up and throw them in the trash can." After saying that, he turned and walked out of the restaurant.
Jonathan grabbed Jiang Songhe's wrist, intending to ask, "Aren't you going to eat with us?" but quickly remembered that the patient had to fast and abstain from water for three days. It would be too inhumane to make someone sit and watch over him while he shirked his responsibilities.
So he let go of her hand and said, "Your living room sofa is very comfortable. It must be so stuffy upstairs. Why don't you sit there and rest and get some fresh air? I'm not actually that hungry. I'll finish eating soon."
Jiang Songhe didn't say anything and silently left.
"Wasin?!" Jonathan got up and followed him out of the restaurant, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
Passing through the living room, he saw a head sitting upright behind the sofa. He smirked and made his way back to the guest room. He said to Wasin, who was munching on a compressed biscuit, "Why are you eating that? It's like I'm abusing you! Get out of here, there's some for you in the dining room."
After Vasin left the room, Jonathan dug out a sugar jar from the corner of his open suitcase, grabbed a handful of licorice candy, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole. Then he returned to the restaurant, quickly ate a few pieces of sweet cake, drank a bowl of watercress and kidney soup, ordered Vasin to eat the rest, and then went to find Jiang Songhe.
Jiang Songhe was probably still upset and didn't say anything.
Jonathan won't stay in Jingting for long. He can't be selfish in a short time. He doesn't want Jiang Songhe out of his sight, not even for a moment.
Or perhaps, he didn't want to leave Jiang Songhe's sight.
So he left a lot of noise around the villa, seemingly excitedly asking the owner one stupid question after another.
What's this place for? What's that place for? Wow, there are arcade games inside! Do you usually play them, haha...
Although Jiang Songhe doesn't actively extend the topic, she still patiently answers all questions.
The lounge and game room haven't been around for the past few years; Songyun used to play with me occasionally when I was little...
Jonathan's figure stopped at the door of the game room, and the silly question came to an abrupt end.
He couldn't help but think about the person in his dreams all these years ago. What if it was Jiang Songhe?
If he had met Jiang Songhe, who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, during the Spring Festival of 2008, he might not have been left on the steps of the abandoned guardhouse and would have naturally stayed in Jiang Songhe's house from then on.
"At home."
An hour ago, the two words Jiang Songhe mentioned seemed like an inescapable curse, continuing to exert their allure.
If 7-year-old Jonathan lived in such a home, would he be like Jiang Songyun, taking all the love and attention of an emotionally closed-off person without fear, growing up carefree like a little sun?
Driven by such fantasies, Jonathan's emotions suddenly became distorted. His selfishness turned into jealousy out of control. He covered his face with his palms, circled his hairline, and, as if switching masks, put on a smiling face again.
He kicked off the guest slippers, went barefoot, and rushed upstairs to the second floor, barging into the host's living area. He stopped in front of the door next to Jiang Songhe's room and loudly continued asking downstairs, "What's the business in the room next to yours?"
"I'm going in?!" Jonathan turned his gaze from the stairwell to the doorknob, grasped it, and turned it open.
Bang!
My hand was enveloped by a large palm, and the door, which had just been opened a crack, was suddenly slammed shut by an additional force.
Jonathan was startled and looked up and behind him along the arm beside him.
Only the wall lamps were on in the corridor at this time. Jiang Songhe, backlit, had a deep gaze. His dark pupils blended into the shadows under his eyebrows. The cold, woody scent of his shower gel still lingered on his body, making him appear aloof and oppressive, like a black lion using its aura to drive away outsiders.
The vulnerability vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, stern expression. Jonathan instinctively swallowed hard and blinked rapidly.
"Don't go in this room." Jiang Songhe brushed Jonathan's hand away, turned the key on the doorknob, pulled it out and put it away. Seeing Jonathan's surprised expression, she turned her head and sighed, "Aren't we supposed to be on a call with Man'er at noon? Go take a nap."
Jonathan's hand remained suspended in mid-air, motionless.
His neck was then clamped down, and Jiang Songhe carried him like a chick into her bedroom, stopping him by the bed: "You're too unruly, you'll sleep here."
The subtext is clear: "I'm keeping an eye on you, so don't trespass in my territory."
Since his debut, Jonathan had never suffered such humiliation. He had always been able to go anywhere without any problems, even with that face. The more Jiang Songhe tried to stop him from entering, the more his curiosity swelled.
What exactly is the house next door for? Who is it for? Or is it hiding some unspeakable secret?
Jonah was driven a little crazy by this curiosity, but he also had to maintain his dignity and couldn't force the issue. So he glanced at the pocket where Jiang Songhe was carrying the keys and scoffed with feigned disdain: "Tch, who cares?"
After saying that, he made a move to walk out.
He was caught off guard by a sudden tap on the back of his neck, which pulled him forward. The next second, he fell onto the bed in a horse-like position.
"Are you crazy?!" Jonathan rolled over and yelled.
“Yes.” Jiang Songhe knelt on the edge of the bed with one knee bent, pulled the corner of the quilt under Jonathan with one hand and pressed it down, while pushing Jonathan’s back with the other hand and rolling him to the opposite side. “I have alcohol poisoning and I’m not better yet.”
Finally, he collapsed and used his arm to tie the string around the top of the rice dumpling filled with filling, saying, "So you'd better listen to me."
Jonathan felt a shiver run down his spine at the word "obedient," and the scene made it hard for him not to recall every night of the week they spent together in Manel.
The anger subsided quickly, but other impulses surfaced.
I want to turn around, to face the newly unlocked skin, to taste its mouth, and see if it has also unlocked a new flavor.
Unfortunately, Jiang Songhe, who was suffering from alcohol poisoning, was weak and had a physical advantage, which made him unable to move. He could only maintain the awkward situation of being back to back and controlled by the other.
"It's too quiet downstairs, I don't like it."
"I want to go back to how we were at the top of the Tang Dynasty."
"Can't I sleep next door?"
Jiang Songhe seemed to have fallen asleep, and no longer answered any questions.
All Jonathan could hear was the soft, rhythmic sound of breathing...
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