Chapter 75 Chapter 75 "I'm sorry."
Qiao Zhuoyi's grip on his arm suddenly tightened: "Who are you letting out?"
Tan Du said nothing, biting his upper lip with his canine teeth and his Adam's apple rolling.
"Look at me and say it again." Qiao Zhuo stared at him.
Tan Du turned away his eyes, his face as pale as the snow that was about to melt.
Qiao Zhuo touched the back of his hand, feeling a chill run through his bones. He murmured through gritted teeth, "I'll settle this with you when we get back!"
"You want to fight? Come at me."
Qiao Zhuo turned around, faced the man, and raised his stance to punch. He didn't hold back in this blow, but saw an arm come in and push the man away.
Bang--
When Qiao Zhuo saw the corners of Tan Du's lips that were rapidly swelling, it felt like he was punched in the chest, causing pain in the back of his head.
What are you doing?
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
"I asked you to block it?!" The man seemed even angrier than him, his chest heaving violently. After a few moments, he gritted his teeth and sneered, "Well, it's symmetrical with last time."
"What do you mean? It was you who beat me last time?"
Qiao Zhuo looked at him with bloodshot eyes, his knuckles cracking, and veins bulging on the back of his hands.
Tan Du held him down and shook his head.
"It's me. You want to stand up for him? Tan Du, you really are popular everywhere you go."
The man looked at the two people in a stalemate, his eyes became colder, and he seemed to find it boring and walked around them to leave.
"Speak clearly!" Qiao Zhuoyi said with a gloomy face, "Why did you hit him?"
"He owes me." The man said with a smile.
Qiao Zhuo's gaze fell back on Tan Du's face. The latter was gritting his teeth, with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He quickly grabbed his chin and said, "Let go."
Tan Du looked at him, his eyes slowly focusing and relaxing.
Qiao Zhuo took a few deep breaths and said, "Let's go back first."
Tan Du didn't move.
Qiao Zhuoyi dragged him into the car like a puppet.
Tanba had a keen sense of smell and could smell something was wrong with the two people who got on the car. The "woof" sound turned into a low whimper.
The old street was unusually deserted, covered by dense rain, and the street lights were foggy, revealing a suppressed and miserable atmosphere.
After parking the car, Qiao Zhuo slammed the door shut and walked away. After two steps, he stepped back. He was not gentle with the man and stared at him and asked, "Are you dizzy?"
Tan Du smiled: "It's okay."
"Come on in."
Tan Du followed him in and sat on the sofa.
Qiao Zhuoyi turned his jaw over and checked it under the light. There was damage on the inside of his mouth, and he probably swallowed the immediate bleeding.
Anger surged up again, and his men unconsciously exerted force.
Tan Du didn't say anything. It was only when Qiao Zhuo felt the slight twitch on his face from the pain that he let go of his hand and asked, "Are you mute?"
"It doesn't hurt." Tan Du said.
"Get up." Qiao Zhuo went into the kitchen and mixed a cup of light salt water. "Rinse your mouth."
The water in the pool was stained with red blood.
Tan Du raised his hand to cover his eyes: "It's really okay, Zhuoyi."
Qiao Zhuo slapped his hand away and turned to walk out. Tan Du followed closely. As they passed the restaurant, Qiao Zhuo said, "Sit down."
He went to the bathroom and got a towel, wrapped it with the ice cubes he brought back from TD, and pressed it towards the corner of Tan Du's mouth. When it was still a few centimeters away, he suddenly stopped, as if he had picked up a golden hammer, and his wrist trembled.
Tan Du wrapped his hand around his, pressed the corner of his mouth against it, and scratched the back of his neck with his other hand: "It doesn't hurt."
"Shut up." Qiao Zhuoyi maintained this action. He knew how hard he should use. When he first started learning tattooing, there were apprentices who disliked him and tried to trip him up a few times. He endured it twice, but the third time, the other party brought a group of people and threatened to cripple his hand. He didn't hesitate and broke the other party's ribs.
"That's enough, Zhuoyi." Two minutes later, Tan Du spoke in a hoarse voice.
Qiao Zhuo shook his hand off and stood up, looking down at him. He pressed his stiff lower back, bent down again, and his eyes were level with his. "Anything to say?"
Tan Du avoided his gaze and said, "Go change your clothes first. They're all wet."
"Talk about crossing." Qiao Zhuo didn't move.
"Go ahead." Tan Du walked straight to the kitchen, "I'll go cook."
"Tan Du." Qiao Zhuoyi shouted again.
Tan Du stopped walking, paused for two seconds, and turned around. Unable to hide the scarlet in his eyes, he whispered, "Zhuo Yi."
Almost begging.
Qiao Zhuoyi suddenly couldn't bear to ask anymore, and after a few seconds of silence, he went upstairs.
The bathroom was shrouded in heat, and the water in the bathtub was slowly overflowing. The person sitting on the floor tiles was still wearing his clothes. He had one leg bent, his wrist resting on his knee, and his fingers tapping his knee irritably.
His shoulders felt hot and wet, and water overflowed. He took off his clothes and sank down.
The water is quiet and clear, but it can’t make sense of the chaos in my mind.
The kitchen window was wide open, and cold air rushed in and out, stealing the warmth from the room and leaving behind the smell of smoke that the person inside was trying to cover up.
Qiao Zhuo tightened his bathrobe and shrunk his shoulders slightly. In his sight, Tan Du was hunched over, staring at the endless night in a daze.
He exhaled slowly and knocked twice on the door.
Tan Du came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Eat."
The food was set on the table, but Tan Du didn't sit down. He whispered, "You eat first. I'll go take a shower."
"Okay, I'll wait for you." Qiao Zhuoyi didn't even move his chopsticks.
There was some movement behind him, and Blanket licked the empty bowl cautiously with his tail between his legs.
Qiao Zhuo looked up at the second floor, his eyes slightly gloomy, and gave it some of the food from the two of them.
The heat from the food gradually dissipated before Tan Du went downstairs.
He didn't change into his pajamas. He sat in front of Qiao Zhuoyi in a formal suit and handed him a piece of meat: "Eat it."
Qiao Zhuo glanced at him and put a few light dishes into his bowl with his chopsticks.
Tan Du curled his lips and ate in small bites.
After taking the first bite, Qiao Zhuo frowned slightly and didn't add salt.
He didn't mention it, and Tan Du didn't remember it either. He ate whatever was in Qiao Zhuo's bowl, mechanically opening his mouth, chewing, and swallowing. The food in his stomach felt like a heavy stone pressing down on it.
After finishing the meal in silence, Tan Du stood up to clean up. Qiao Zhuoyi stood at the kitchen door, watching him wash and dry the dishes and wipe the countertop spotlessly clean.
Tan Du never met his gaze and came out to wipe the table again.
Qiao Zhuoyi said, "I wiped it."
"Yeah." Tan Du went to get the mop.
"It's been delayed." Qiao Zhuoyi said.
"Then I..."
"The house is so big, you can clean it up until next year," Qiao Zhuoyi said, "I'll wait."
Tan Du lowered his head, exhaled lightly, his eyelashes trembled, and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
Qiao Zhuoyi didn't urge him.
The only sounds in the house were the ticking of the clock and the chewing of the blanket. Later, the blanket stopped eating and carefully circled around Tan Du twice, wagging its tail.
Tan Du patted his head, rubbed his face, and sank into the sofa cushion. He supported his knees with his elbows, his back arched, like a taut old bow, which broke without any effort and a breath.
Qiao Zhuoyi tried his best to calm his tone: "What do you owe him?"
There was a long silence.
Qiao Zhuoyi called out again, "Tan Du."
Tan Du finally raised his eyes, his voice seemed to be floating in the air, empty and without any ups and downs: "It has nothing to do with you."
Qiao Zhuoyi's anger, which had just been extinguished, suddenly flared up: "What bullshit! What do you mean it has nothing to do with me!"
"That's not what I meant." Tan Du realized he had said the wrong thing and stood up and walked towards him helplessly, "I made a mistake."
"Then what do you mean?" Qiao Zhuo stared at him.
"Zhuoyi, give me some time." Tan Du grabbed his hand, but Qiao Zhuoyi shook it off, "Get out!"
Tan Du curled his fingers together, took a few breaths, and said, suppressing his trembling, "Okay, I'll leave. Don't be angry."
Qiao Zhuo wanted to catch him, but after only a second of hesitation, the hem of the clothes passed over the back of his hand and floated straight towards the door.
It was pitch black outside the door, and the thin figure was about to blend in like a lonely soul.
"Tan Du!" Qiao Zhuo suddenly felt uneasy, "Just stand there!"
Tan Du paused for a moment.
Qiao Zhuo walked over, grabbed his arm and dragged him upstairs: "Why haven't I seen you so obedient before!"
Tan Du staggered as he was pulled by him, and he grabbed his wrist with his backhand.
"Did you take a cold shower?" Qiao Zhuoyi was shocked by his cold body temperature. He quickened his pace, went into the bedroom, and roughly took off his clothes and stuffed him into the quilt.
Then he lay down in bed, holding him tightly in his arms, and gently stroked his eyelids with his palms: "Sleep! Don't even think about going anywhere."
Tan Du buried his head in the crook of his neck, his body trembling slightly.
Qiao Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief. Forget about his face. If he was really allowed to go alone in the middle of the night, who knows what accidents might happen.
He hugged the person tighter with lingering fear, and finally warmed him up with his body temperature. When the person in his arms gradually calmed down, he allowed himself to fall asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Qiao Zhuoyi suddenly woke up.
It's only the late night and everything around me is cold.
"Tan Du?"
He turned on the light, got out of bed, and walked around the room barefoot, his heart sinking. He pushed open the door and rushed out. When he was almost at the stairs, a cool breeze blew from the south.
The balcony door at the end of the corridor was open.
He walked over and saw a thin figure leaning against the railing, a flash of scarlet flickering between his fingers, and the smoke that followed drifted vaguely and lonely in the night.
After holding his breath for a few moments, Qiao Zhuo pinched his palm with his fingertips, turned around and went downstairs. After a while of jingling and clanging, he walked into the yard and shone a flashlight at people.
After a while, Tan Du responded hoarsely: "Zhuo Yi?"
Qiao Zhuoyi: "Get down!"
On the dining table was a bowl of thick liquid in black, white and yellow colors. It was creepy to look at in the middle of the night.
Tan Du stared at it for a while but couldn't see the real thing, but judging from where it came from, it should be food.
Qiao Zhuo stuffed a spoon into his hand and said, "Eat."
"You did it?" Tan Du asked.
The range hood disturbed his sweet dream, and the buzzing sound gave Boss Qiao an inexplicable sense of confidence.
"Yes!" Qiao Zhuo swallowed, "Hurry up."
Tan Du's stiff fingers secretly grabbed a few handfuls at his side, then he picked up the spoon. The moment the unknown object entered his mouth, his nose was filled with a burnt smell. He swallowed it without changing his expression: "Delicious."
Qiao Zhuo glanced at him suspiciously, took a sip, and immediately grabbed the water glass next to him and drank half of it: "The ceremony is complete, no need to eat."
He pulled Tan Du's hand to the edge of the bowl and said, "Keep it warm."
The fingers gradually regained sensation.
Tan Du forced himself to cheer up and asked, "Chef Xiao Qiao, could you please introduce this delicious dish?"
Qiao Zhuoyi used a spoon to stir out the ingredients: "Fermented glutinous rice, meatballs, osmanthus flowers..."
At the last smudge of black, he tutted his words, turned away and said, "Egg!"
Before Tan Du could come to his senses, a round, red candied haws was handed to his lips, emitting a sweet fragrance.
Yes, it was the "reunion" that Boss Qiao brought back specially.
Ruined by him.
Tan Du's throat was sore and he touched his face with one hand. His voice was hoarse, "I'm sorry."
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The author has something to say: [Cat’s Paw] See you the day after tomorrow~
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