17

17

I opened the door in the dark, assuming Pengpeng was already fast asleep. I called Huahong inside and told him to be careful. He nodded and told me not to worry.

I walked barefoot into the room. There was a large bulge on the left side of the bed, and another bulge was clearly left for me by Pengpeng. I couldn't help but chuckle. That's what happens when you get used to something.

I opened the wardrobe. I remembered there used to be a spare quilt here, but I couldn't find it. I tiptoed and turned on the bedside lamp, pulling the lamp cap very low so the light wouldn't disturb Pengpeng. But as soon as I turned around, Pengpeng sat up.

What are you doing so late at night?

The slightly sleepy voice startled me; I almost yelled.

"Did I wake you up? Haha, I'm looking for my blanket. Go back to sleep."

"I woke up as soon as you came in. Who's outside?"

Pengpeng stood up, yawned, and walked to the door to peek inside.

"Who is it? Why didn't you turn on a light?"

“It’s Hua Hong. He had nowhere to stay tonight, so I let him come to our house.”

Pengpeng's back froze for a moment, then he turned back to look at me with eyes that were many times clearer than before. Seeing him like this, I felt inexplicably nervous.

"It's quite a coincidence. I met Shi Ji today and he was here too. We chatted for a while and I found out he had nowhere to stay tonight, so I invited him to come to our house."

Zhang Peng looked at me very seriously, then looked outside, his lips twitched slightly, and he gently closed the door tightly.

“Tell me the truth. Our door is good; you don’t have to worry about outsiders hearing anything.”

I lowered my head in embarrassment, thinking to myself, how come nothing escapes Pengpeng's notice? After thinking for a moment, I omitted what Hua Hong had said about liking me and instead told him about his relationship with Xiao Wen. Pengpeng listened with great emotion, cursing "Xiao Wen's mother's ass" several times, as if he would punch Xiao Wen like I would if she were standing in front of him right now. After I finished explaining, Pengpeng praised me for hitting him, saying that kind of person deserved a beating, and he wouldn't know what it meant to be taught a lesson if I didn't teach him a lesson. Putting a stool under his feet, Pengpeng rummaged through a cardboard box on top of the wardrobe and pulled out a quilt.

"Take it to him quickly, so he can get a good night's sleep tonight."

I replied, "You're so kind," and quickly opened the door and went out.

I walked over to the sofa, where Hua Hong was already asleep. Although the room was dark, I could still see his childlike, innocent sleeping face. I smiled, straightened his head, and gently covered him with the blanket.

When I got back to the room, Pengpeng was leaning against the headboard waiting for me.

"Is he alright?"

"Yes, they're already asleep."

Pengpeng patted my designated bed next to him and said, "Don't take a shower tonight, so you don't wake him up."

I took off my coat and hung it on the hanger, then said, "Aren't you disgusted by my dirt?"

"Tch! You're a dirty person to begin with, it doesn't matter whether you wash or not. Come on up, I have something to say to you."

After I took off all my clothes except my underwear, I climbed into bed, snuggled into the warm blankets, and moved around a bit, putting one leg on Pengpeng's stomach.

"Speak, what is it?"

"How long is he going to stay here?"

"I hadn't thought about that. Hmm... probably tonight. I'll go with him to Xiaowen's place tomorrow to pick up his things. I think he'll go home."

“Xia Xiang…”

"kindness?"

"Let me know before you bring anyone back next time."

I looked up at Pengpeng's face; he seemed a little unhappy.

"...I understand." I put my leg down from Pengpeng's stomach, turned my back, and felt like I had done something wrong.

Looking back, Pengpeng and Hua Hong had only met once. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt, and Pengpeng and Hua Hong were practically strangers. It was indeed my fault for not telling him beforehand; no one would want a stranger to stay overnight in their house. But I couldn't just abandon Hua Hong; he needed me at that moment, didn't he?

"Let's sleep." Pengpeng turned off the light, lay down, and hugged me from behind. He whispered in my ear, "Xia Xiang, don't forget... there's a young man living outside." After saying that, he pressed his head against my back.

I realized that Pengpeng was jealous, which surprised me quite a bit.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't be interested in anyone but me? What are you worried about?"

"Tch! I was just saying that. If you weren't good to me... would I have liked you? You're so stupid!"

I turned around and looked Pengpeng in the eye, scrutinizing him carefully. Should I tell him that Hua Hong has feelings for me? Would he be angry, understanding, or would he kick him out? After thinking about it, I decided it was best not to say anything for now.

"Silly girl, no matter what others think of me, I'm all yours."

Pengpeng gently touched my lips. "You said it, remember that."

"must!"

"Hehe, then go to sleep."

"Okay, goodnight."

I was woken up by Pengpeng just as dawn broke. I opened one eye, looked at Pengpeng's blurry face, glanced out the window, and turned over.

"Don't bother me, go to sleep, go to sleep, let me sleep."

"Xia Xiang, Xia Xiang, get up! Something terrible has happened!" Peng Peng continued to shake me vigorously, as if the sky had fallen outside.

I was so annoyed by his shaking that I sat up.

"What are you doing so early in the morning? It's Saturday! I can finally sleep in... Oh, what's wrong?" Upon closer inspection, Pengpeng's hair was wet, water was dripping down his neck, and his usually neatly dressed pajamas were now completely unbuttoned. He sat next to me, looking extremely anxious.

"He, he, that Hua Hong treats our family like his own home!"

"ah?"

"Get up and take a look!"

Before I could even figure out what was going on, Pengpeng dragged me off the bed. When we got to the door, he turned around and made a "shh" gesture to me, then bent down, opened the door a crack, and pointed outside.

I went closer to take a look and saw that Hua Hong was mopping the floor outside. I glanced back at the clock on the bedside table—good heavens, it wasn't even seven o'clock yet! Looking at Hua Hong again, the kid actually had a smile on his face, looking quite happy. After mopping for a while, he exclaimed "Oh dear!" and hurriedly ran into the kitchen, only to come out again a minute later to continue mopping.

I asked Pengpeng softly, "What is he doing?"

"He's cooking porridge." Pengpeng's voice was a little hoarse. I looked down and, oh my god, he looked like he was about to die of heartbreak.

What's going on? What's happening so early in the morning? He's up early over there, mopping the floor and cooking porridge, and this is even worse. When have I ever seen him like this in all the time we've been together?

I closed the door and took Pengpeng's hand as we walked to the bedside.

"What happened? Don't scare me."

"What does he mean? He's treating this place like his own home!" Pengpeng pushed me away and pounced on the bed.

"Explain yourself clearly." Seeing him like this, I became anxious.

"When I got up to take a shower this morning, I heard some noise outside. When I went out to check, it was Hua Hong making the bed. He said good morning to me and asked if he could use the kitchen. I didn't think much of it and told him to use it as he pleased. But he... he actually asked me what I ate for breakfast. Isn't that obviously him trying to cook for me? He's showing off to me. Xia Xiang, tell me the truth, is there something between you and him? He knows what kind of relationship we have, doesn't he? He doesn't respect me at all! I don't care, tell him to leave in a bit. I don't want to see him! And I don't want him to touch our things!"

I stood there dumbfounded. Was that really what happened? But in my memory, Hua Hong wasn't that kind of person.

"Don't worry, let me go out and ask around to make sure there's no misunderstanding."

"No misunderstanding, if he didn't like you, why would he be so diligent? Let me tell you, after I left the bathroom, he went in and cleaned the whole place. I was furious!"

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, I'll go out and see. Please don't get angry."

I opened the door and glanced at Pengpeng, who was still lying on the bed, pouting. I've never felt so happy. Turns out he was so worried about me, haha.

Hua Hong saw me stop what I was doing and smiled, saying good morning to me. I walked over and looked at the clean floor behind him, saying, "Why aren't you sleeping? You're a guest here, I feel bad doing this."

"It's nothing. I slept well last night and woke up early. Since I had nothing else to do, I just mopped the floor. Oh, and I also cooked some porridge. Zhang Peng is up too, let's invite him over to eat."

Looking at Hua Hong's beaming smile, I took the mop from his hand.

"Can you please stop doing things that could lead to misunderstandings?"

"What did I do that would cause such a misunderstanding?"

"What do you mean by doing this in front of Pengpeng? Don't tell me you're just bored and have nothing better to do."

Hua Hong stared at me intently with wide eyes, then guiltily looked away.

"Don't do that again. I'm satisfied with my life now and don't want to cause any more trouble."

"I just... wanted to do something within my power for you, that's all."

"No need. Doing this will only make Pengpeng misunderstand. Please don't cause me any trouble."

Hua Hong snatched the mop from my hand, turned around, and quickly ran into the kitchen.

I stood there feeling a bit disoriented, and I think I might have said something harsh. I wanted to go back to my room and lie down for a while, but when I turned around, I saw Pengpeng standing at the door with his head down.

He...he heard it all, didn't he?

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