Dead face and dead fish eyes
"Yo~~ My great musician, you've finally arrived!" Ni Haolang greeted him with pats and pats, praising him to the skies, but the "sexy husky voice" didn't appreciate it and brushed his hand away.
Ni Haolang, however, didn't seem to mind being snubbed at all. He continued to pat and rub the other person's body here and there, his manner reminiscent of a monkey teasing a dog in a short video.
Jiang Songhe got up from the sofa, stepped forward, nodded and extended his hand, introducing himself: "Hello, Jiang Songhe, nice to meet you."
With a sexy husky voice, bronze skin, a naturally curly wolf tail, and a muscular physique, Ni Haolang was about the same height as Jiang Songhe. He stood between the two, forming a perfect "U" shape.
In terms of presence, she was evenly matched with Jiang Songhe; one had a deadpan expression, and the other had a world-weary, lifeless look.
"Dead Fish Eyes" ignored "Dead Face" as if he were invisible. Seeing that he was annoyed by the thumping, he grabbed Ni Haolang's messing hand, raised half of his mouth and said sarcastically, "I think it might be that I came at the wrong time and interrupted your 'cool' moment."
Jiang Songhe could tell that the other person's words had a hidden meaning, but he didn't understand why they were talking on their first meeting. Perhaps the other person was an arrogant artist who knew that he needed something and was being coy, or perhaps he was just overthinking things.
He didn't intend to make a fool of himself and was about to back down when Ni Haolang's eyes darted around and he saw through Qiao's act.
“You’re saying that again~~” Ni Haolang persisted in his shamelessness, pulling his hand away and shaking hands with his “good brother” and “dog roommate”, patting them like an ambassador establishing diplomatic relations, “Songhe, this is my best friend, Kun Ji’en. Kun Ji’en, this is my brother, Jiang Songhe.”
Having already shaken hands, Kun Ji'en had no choice but to fix his gaze on Jiang Songhe.
"Sawadee, Kun Ji'en." Kun Ji'en spoke in Siamese, and his handshake was rather firm.
Even without bowing his head, Jiang Songhe could tell that his hand was already clenched red and burning with pain. He really couldn't figure out if this was a Siamese custom or if he had offended the other party somewhere in the past without realizing it.
"Holy crap? You brought this bottle of 'Hard King Maoting' that I gave you? No wonder you're so late." Ni Haolang snatched a bottle of baijiu that looked like a porcelain jade seal from Kun Ji'en's other hand and exclaimed, "Huh! It's still unopened?! You didn't drink it yourself, but specially brought it to share with my brother! Awesome! Loyal!"
Kun Ji'en loosened his grip slightly, and his face showed some joy upon hearing the first half of the sentence, but his expression turned gloomy upon hearing the second half.
Ni Haolang's words were delivered in a very exaggerated tone, and anyone with a discerning ear could tell that he was trying to set Kun Ji'en and Jiang Songhe up on their own. However, Kun Ji'en's expression grew increasingly unpleasant, which only made Jiang Songhe more and more confused.
Although Jiang Songhe was puzzled, his intuition told him that he shouldn't touch this bottle of wine.
"I drank too much last night and I'm still feeling a bit unwell today, so I probably won't be able to appreciate the taste of such good wine." Jiang Songhe withdrew his hand, secretly rubbing his index finger joint with his thumb to relieve the heat and pain. He tightened his vocal cords without changing his expression, making his voice even hoarser. "Today, I'll substitute tea for wine."
"Oh right, look at my memory! Songhe has a cold, I'll drink with you in his place later! You know, I've never even tried the 'Hard King's Thatched Cottage' before..."
Ni Haolang rubbed the wine bottle and smacked his lips, naturally speaking up for Jiang Songhe, completely unaware that his iron-faced expression was gradually turning ashen.
"No way! Good wine for rare guests. What's the big deal if you can't taste the flavor? We're drinking out of sincerity!" Kun Ji'en gave a wicked smile, snatched the wine back from Ni Haolang's hand, and deftly tore open the seal. "Please."
This guy's words are quite authentic; he speaks a set of persuasive drinking rhetoric fluently and sarcastically.
Jiang Songhe now fully understood Kun Ji'en's hostility, and recalling the architectural style of Ni Haolang's studio—neither Siamese nor porcelain—she deduced that the two must have had a deep connection in Man'er.
It seems that what he came here to do might not work out, but Ni Haolang said that he has a business relationship with this person and they are also roommates... In the end, I am indebted to him and don't want to put Ni Haolang in a difficult position, so I can't avoid drinking with him today.
It's just a few drinks, it won't kill you, drink it.
Jiang Songhe smiled and sat down again, saying, "Okay, come on."
Kun Ji'en also sat down, watching Ni Haolang bend over with his back to him, give a thumbs-up to the man surnamed Jiang, put the wine bottle on the coffee table, and roll his eyes fiercely.
-
Ni Haolang attentively set out wine cups for the three of them, but Kun Ji'en only poured wine for himself and Jiang Songhe.
"Hey? I bought the wine, you poured it for him but not for me?! You two are moving way too fast!" Ni Haolang feigned anger.
“Of course, Haolang, brother, how could I be negligent?” Kun Ji’en raised his glass to Jiang Songhe, “Please.”
Jiang Songhe downed the wine in his glass in one gulp. His throat was already sore as if he had swallowed a razor blade, and the spicy spiciness made him cough violently.
Kun Ji'en had no intention of letting Jiang Songhe off the hook. He immediately refilled the empty cup with a flick of his wrist: "Again."
Jiang Songhe casually grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and wiped his lips, then raised his glass: "To you."
Ni Haolang, standing to the side, was completely relegated to the background. He raised his glass but no one paid him any attention, and he couldn't get a word in edgewise. He was like a whack-a-mole, pressing the air in both directions: "Hey you... ah you! I'm telling you, take it easy on your drinking, the alcohol is expensive!"
After drinking five or six cups of ginger tea, Jiang Songhe couldn't take it anymore. Her face turned pale instead of red, and she held onto the next cup tightly, not touching it for a long time.
Even the oblivious Ni Haolang could sense the awkward atmosphere. He secretly tapped Jiang Songhe's shoe under the table, while at the table he awkwardly tried to smooth things over with winks and grimaces: "You two... well, it's my fault. I didn't prepare any snacks for you to go with your drinks. So, you two take a break and wait for me, I'll be right there..."
"This is nothing," Kun Ji'en said, his eyelids drooping and lifting, his provocation blatant. "You were quite straightforward when you asked Haolang to ask me to be your intermediary, but now you're all hesitant and coy after having a couple of drinks with you? It seems your so-called 'sincerity' is nothing more than that."
This is using Jiang Songhe's refusal to attend the appointment over the phone at the Strange Blue Bar yesterday as an example.
"Pshaw, what the hell is that?" Jiang Songhe saw that the other party showed no sign of backing down despite his repeated concessions, so his words became hostile as he glared at the person opposite him and slowly brought the wine glass to his lips.
"You've gone too far, Kun Ji'en." Ni Haolang turned back before even reaching the kitchen and reached out to cover the wine cup in Jiang Songhe's hand.
-
Even after many years, Ni Haolang still remembers Jiang Songhe's look.
When he was in elementary school, he was short and skinny, like a monkey. In addition, the pronunciation of his name was unpleasant, so he was often bullied and ridiculed by his classmates. Robbing, beatings, and pranks were commonplace. He became so withdrawn that he asked his family to let him drop out of school, but his father, a renowned Peking Opera master, would only say that boys shouldn't be so dramatic and would never agree or pursue the matter.
Later, Jiang Songhe transferred to their class. No one wanted to sit next to him, but Jiang Songhe readily took the seat. Jiang Songhe was much more withdrawn back then than he is now, keeping to himself and never talking to anyone. Ni Haolang was quite afraid of him. Once, Ni Haolang was cornered in the toilet by an older student named Pang Hu and forced to drink urine. Jiang Songhe came out of a stall, gave Pang Hu a flying kick in the waist without saying a word, and then grabbed him and ran away.
Later, the two of them were found and beaten up by Fatty Tiger's gangsters. Jiang Songhe shielded Ni Haolang behind him and fought back against the gangsters. How could a primary school student possibly beat a street thug? In the end, Jiang Songhe was bruised and battered, choked, and pinned to the ground. It was at this moment that he glared at the gangsters and said, "I'll grow up soon. If you don't kill me today, you'll die later."
Suddenly, the gangster laughed and lifted Jiang Songhe up, saying in a particularly childish way, "You've got guts, kid. Join me from now on." Jiang Songhe patted the dirt off his clothes, spat out the blood in his mouth, and said, "Go to hell."
At that time, Ni Haolang thought, "Damn, he's so handsome. I'm sticking with this guy no matter what." From elementary school to junior high, and from junior high to senior high, Ni Haolang was always in the same class as Jiang Songhe. With his brother protecting him, he gradually rediscovered his true nature and grew into a sly and funny guy.
So now, with a brother who's willing to risk his life in a fight on one side and a good friend who's won a Siamese boxing championship on the other, if Ni Haolang doesn't step in and stop it, things will get really bad.
"I'm being unreasonable? Can't you see how fake he is, that he's using you? I'm really curious, is this the kind of person you always call your good brother?" Kun Ji'en continued relentlessly, his words becoming increasingly harsh.
Ni Haolang's inner monologue: He still dares to say that? This is forcing me to choose between two extreme options!
Ni Haolang made a firm decision and chose Jiang Songhe.
Ni Haolang: "I am what he is! If you think we are not good enough for someone as important as you, then get out of here! I don't want you as a friend anymore. Take your things and move out of my house! From now on, let's not bother each other!"
Kun Ji'en: "What do you mean?! Are you cutting ties with me because of him?"
Ni Haolang: "You kid, you'd never break off the friendship? I'm telling you! Tsk, I don't repeat myself!"
The conflict shifted to Ni Haolang and Kun Ji'en, who argued heatedly, their faces flushed.
Thump!
The standoff was interrupted by a muffled thud, and the two men looked in the same direction.
Jiang Songhe fainted.
"Holy crap! Songhe?! Damn!!! He's burning up..." Ni Haolang frantically checked Jiang Songhe's breathing; he was still breathing. He patted Jiang Songhe's face, then looked up and cursed Kun Ji'en, "What the hell are you talking about?! He's had a fever the whole time!!"
"How would I know him? He's sick?!" Kun Ji'en saw that Ni Haolang was really anxious and his momentum weakened, but he still disliked this guy surnamed Jiang and insisted on saying "sick" instead of "fever".
Ni Haolang carried Jiang Songhe on his back and walked towards the door, not forgetting to throw a sentence into the doorway before leaving: "When I come back, don't let me see you again."
-
Ni Haolang put Jiang Songhe into his car and drove her back to the hotel.
After entering the bedroom and settling Jiang Songhe on the bed, they went out to buy medicine. After taking the medicine, drinking water, and changing her clothes, Jiang Songhe finally woke up a bit.
"I'm telling you, are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" Ni Haolang was still a little worried.
"No need, I'll just take another nap. It's getting dark, and isn't today your day of rest? You can go back now." The lamplight was making Jiang Songhe's eyes hurt, so he turned his head to the opposite side.
Ni Haolang: "Who cares about sleep or not? Today's events are just too messed up! I don't know what Kun Ji'en was thinking... I'm sorry, Song He, I was originally planning to set you two up."
Jiang Songhe: "I'm really fine, never mind. Thank you for bringing me back, go on your way."
Ni Haolang: "Are you trying to embarrass me by saying thank you between us?! Have you forgotten how much you thanked me when we were kids..."
The phone rang at that moment. Ni Haolang turned the screen over and saw that it was Kun Ji'en.
"You can't understand the language of the Porcelain Kingdom, Kun Ji'en?" Ni Haolang wiped his face and got angry again.
"Didn't you want to break up with me? Come back, and we'll cancel the contract for my next album cover collaboration. You were the one who insisted on signing it in the first place, so now you come and cancel it yourself." The voice on the other end of the phone was muffled and emotionless.
"Threatening me? Fine, I'll untie it! You think I'm afraid of you?! You wait! Even if I become a penniless pauper and beg for food, I'll never ask you for a thing again!!" Ni Haolang angrily hung up the phone.
Jiang Songhe hadn't expected things to turn out this way, and forced herself to say something: "I can't actually stay in Maner for more than a few days, actually you..."
Did I just use a double rhyme?
"hold head high?"
"I'm a fucking genius!"
"..."
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