Chapter 20 Barber Shop
During the nights when Cheng Che stayed up late in the apartment, he initially slept in Li Zimai's bed, because every time he fell asleep, he was forcibly carried from the sofa in the living room into the room.
Cheng Che threatened to go back to the dormitory to draw, and declared that Li Zimai was not allowed to get close to him. Li Zimai had no choice but to change to a sofa bed. From then on, Cheng Che became a frequent visitor to the sofa bed and the kitchen. Sleeping on the sofa was Cheng Che's last bottom line, and he would not allow himself to trouble others any more.
On the day after submitting the drawings, Cheng Che woke up on the sofa at three o'clock in the afternoon. He opened his eyes and lay there for a long time before he recovered.
It was a rare sunny day in Beijing, and Cheng Che had finally finished his studies. He sat up, looked at the balance on his phone, and thought about buying a luxurious meal as a return gift to thank Li Zimai.
Cheng Che put on his coat and shoes and was about to go out when Li Zimai came out of the room, stretching lazily, and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Want to buy some groceries and eat hot pot?"
Cheng Che put on his hat and said, "I'll be back soon, go wash up first."
Lizi took two or three steps over and put on her coat as she walked, "I want to go too."
"Have you washed your face?"
"No more washing."
Cheng Che looked at him with disdain, "Are you sure you want to go out like this?"
After spending a few months together, Cheng Che discovered that Li Zimai paid attention to some strange things in life. He paid intermittent attention to his image. Sometimes he dressed like a butterfly, and sometimes he put on a coat over his pajamas and went out in slippers.
He can go out in pajamas, but he absolutely cannot tolerate wrinkles on the collar of pajamas, nor can he tolerate any asymmetrical decorations such as cross-body bags. Fortunately, Li Zimai's abnormal obsessive-compulsive disorder has not yet affected Cheng Che.
After being ordered to wash up, Li Zimai came out of the bedroom. As he put on his shoes at the entrance, his hair draped over his forehead. He finally remembered something, "Cheche, can you accompany me to get a haircut later?"
The barber shop was in a shopping mall not far from the apartment. As soon as the two of them entered, they were surrounded by several young men who greeted them enthusiastically: "Do you want a haircut or a perm? Is this your first time here? Do you have a favorite stylist?"
Li Zimai touched Cheng Che's head and said, "I'll cut it and give it this hairstyle."
The young man advised: "Handsome man, your hair is so good, it would be a shame to cut it short. Would you like to take a look at our new style?"
The man took out a tablet and recommended several colorful and bizarre hairstyles. Cheng Che said, "No card required, just a haircut. Just a short one will do. Hurry up, we're busy."
The young man rudely interrupted the other person before he could say the next sentence, smiled awkwardly, and then called the barber.
The barber was a tall and handsome young man with an earring on one ear and a blue flower tattoo on his wrist. He was dressed very fashionably.
Cheng Che sat aside, browsing the construction news on the WeChat public account, but he caught a glimpse of the barber pinching Li Zimai's shoulders, near the neck, and even seemed to be pinching down. After a few seconds, he withdrew his fingers and stared at Li Zimai in the mirror with great enthusiasm.
Li Zimai was playing with his phone and didn't notice the incident. It was normal for boys to have their necks touched while getting a haircut, but Cheng Che felt inexplicably uncomfortable. He simply put his phone down and stared at Li Zimai. His eyes met the barber's in the mirror. The barber lowered his head cautiously. He walked over to Li Zimai and asked, "How long will it take?"
Cheng Che was tall and well-proportioned, wearing a loose cotton coat. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes were sharp. He looked very difficult to deal with. The young man didn't dare to look him in the eye and said awkwardly, "It will be done soon."
Li Zimai thought Cheng Che's phone was out of battery, so he handed his phone to Cheng Che without hesitation and said, "Play with mine."
Cheng Che said coldly, "No, I don't want to play."
Seeing his impatience, Li Zimai said casually, "That's it."
The barber boy quickly said, "Don't worry, it will be done soon. If I don't cut it for you, my boss will deduct my salary."
Li Zimai sat back down out of politeness, tilted his head and acted coquettishly towards Cheng Che, "Cheche, wait for me, it will be ready soon."
His voice is a perfect bass, very deep and soft, with a very textured magnetism. But when he calls "Cheche", it is so sweet that it makes people's hearts numb.
Cheng Che just felt disgusted, but the barber blushed and asked, "You two are so close, are you classmates?"
Li Zimai was pleased with the phrase "good relationship" and politely replied, "We are roommates."
"Wow, I'm so envious. Are you guys from Hua University?"
That's how the flirtation began.
Although Li Zimai looks aloof and noble, he is always polite to others and never embarrasses them. He is well-educated and a decent and generous young man.
The barber who struck up a conversation didn't want to let this opportunity slip away. While the customer was scanning the payment, he pulled out his phone and said, "Handsome, can you add me on WeChat? I can let you know if there's an event at the shop."
Cheng Che interrupted coldly, "Are you leaving or not? If not, I'm leaving."
Li Zimai raised an eyebrow at Cheng Che, and suddenly had an idea. He took out his phone and asked Cheng Che to add him on WeChat right in front of him. After adding him, he deliberately said, "That guy is quite interesting. Why did he add me on WeChat? And it's a private account. Don't stores like theirs have official accounts?"
Cheng Che stopped and looked at him strangely, "Do you really like adding other people on WeChat?"
Li Zimai almost laughed out loud. Is this little idiot finally getting his way?
He was about to explain when he heard the other party say, "Are you planning to do micro-business in the future?"
Li Zimai: “….”
Damn WeChat business, the little idiot is still the little idiot.
After living in the apartment for more than a month, Cheng Che has been riding a shared bicycle to buy groceries at the affordable supermarket near the school. By staying at other people's homes, Cheng Che naturally bears the cost of Lizimai's meals.
The first time Li Zimai went to the supermarket with Cheng Che, he was amazed at Cheng Che's speed and unique method of selecting vegetables. He didn't understand how you could tell the quality of fruits and vegetables by tapping, pinching, and smelling them. "You're being unfair. They're all radishes, why do you choose this one over that one?"
Cheng Che rolled his eyes at him and said, "Push the cart properly and don't talk."
Li Zimai asked again: "Where did you learn this?"
Cheng Che paused and whispered, "My grandma taught me. She used to sell vegetables."
This was the first time Li Zimai heard him mention his family on his own initiative. When he mentioned grandma, his voice was very soft, with the corners of his mouth slightly pursed, with a barely perceptible helplessness, as if he was recalling something.
Li Zimai stopped, rubbed Cheng Che's head, and said softly: "Well, grandma is really amazing, my grandma knows how to eat."
"Same as me," he added.
Cheng Che smiled lightly, "You also know that you only know how to eat."
He didn't know if it was because the supermarket was too heated, or because Cheng Che's smile was so beautiful, but Li Zimai could almost hear his heart skip a beat. The slowly spreading warmth from there gradually invaded every nerve in him. He said boldly and bluntly, "Cheche, you look so beautiful when you smile."
Cheng Che was stunned and replied in a dull tone, "You're crazy, why are you suddenly saying this?"
He stuffed the carrot in his hand into the other person's arms and walked away in a panic, but the tips of his ears that were exposed under his black hat were completely red.
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