Chapter 57
"I play the zither very well." Bei Sining followed Wen Zheng through the crowd and boasted, "Although I am good at calligraphy and painting, I play the zither the best."
Wen Zheng said helplessly, "You've said it eight times already, and I checked online yesterday too. Music stores don't sell guqin. Can your guzheng do?"
"No." Bei Sining said, annoyed, "Can a zither and a qin be the same?"
The two entered the mall and went up to the second floor as if they knew the way well. Wen Zheng took off his scarf.
"Well, there's nothing I can do about that. I'll take you to pick out writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones later, and I'll buy you the most expensive ones."
"Hmm." Bei Sining was somewhat satisfied, but after thinking about it, she could only make do. She added, "The clothes in this store are actually just average..."
Wen Zheng had just pushed open the door when Bei Sining quickly stopped him with a look, signaling him not to talk nonsense. Bei Sining obediently shut up and followed him inside, looking around at the small shop they had visited just two days ago.
"?" The two of them were stunned at the same time. What was going on? Had they gone to the wrong place? Why did it seem completely different from the last time they came?
The door bell rang, and the clerk, who seemed to be busy in the back kitchen, hurried out, apologizing, "Excuse me, what would you like to see... ah!"
The female shop assistant with her ponytail screamed.
Wen Zheng and Bei Sining were startled and took a step back in unison.
"Ahhh—" The female shop assistant stuffed both hands into her mouth and rushed back to the backstage like a madwoman: "Ahhh..."
"???"
Two seconds later, the sound of things being overturned came from inside, along with a group of suppressed groans. After a while of chaos, finally some normal-looking people came out, their faces beaming with excitement: "Muse! My muse!"
Several shop assistants followed her out, each with tears in their eyes. Wen Zheng looked familiar; they must have met him two days ago.
The young woman who mentioned the muse was unfamiliar to me; she quickly introduced herself as the owner of the shop.
“I wasn’t in the store when you came to buy clothes last time, and I regretted it so much I wanted to kill myself! Then I saw photos of Mr. Wang wearing our clothes at a banquet on Weibo, and he looked so beautiful, absolutely stunning! At that moment, I was overwhelmed with inspiration, and I haven’t slept a wink since the night before last!”
“…This isn’t good. You should get some sleep,” Wen Zheng said.
“I’ve been trying to contact you ever since to ask you to waive the order for that ‘Starry Sky’ outfit,” the shop owner said, her face flushed. “I was even willing to give Mr. Wang his change when he wore it, how could I possibly accept it again?”
“…Have some water,” Wen Zheng said.
"Unfortunately, I can't find his contact information. I asked the customer service of Aimao Live, but they wouldn't tell me either. My inspiration has nowhere to go, so I can only keep making clothes... Yes, that's it. Now all the clothes in the store have Mr. Wang's size. You can pick whatever you like, it's free!"
"……Thanks for your hard work."
No wonder they were all dressed in women's clothing last time I came. Something seemed off today. Turns out they've changed into a batch of men's clothing, and the colors are more subdued.
Wen Zheng looked around but couldn't see any difference, so he waved for Bei Sining to choose. He then leaned against the door, lost in thought.
I didn't sleep very well last night, and I'm a bit sleepy today. Bei Sining is such a magical cat spirit; before one question could be answered, he threw another one at him.
Why is he skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting? What else can he do? Is he really a cat spirit?
While Bei Sining was surrounded by the maids, he made a video call to the blond-haired boy, who answered immediately, as if he had been waiting there all along.
"Brother Wen!" he exclaimed excitedly, "Do you want to see Big Black?!"
Having not petted the cat for so many days, Wen Zheng did miss it. He nodded and soon saw the fluffy black cat change its position and lie on its side on the sofa.
"What has it eaten these past few days?" Wen Zheng asked casually.
“Uh,” Little Yellow Hair hesitated, his eyes darted around, his gaze sweeping over the shelves, and then he seemed to have found an inspiration: “Hey, it’s not picky at all. It loves all kinds of food, like chicken strips, fish strips, beef strips, and even our store’s homemade wheat straw sticks.”
The flaw was so glaring that Wen Zheng couldn't fool himself even with his eyes closed, and he was almost suffocated by the intelligence of his friend Bei Sining.
Is naivety his only criterion for choosing friends? Does someone who isn't stupid deserve to be a cat's companion?
After watching the video of the cat, Wen Zheng hung up. Bei Sining turned around with a feeling in her heart, and their eyes met.
Wen Zheng turned around: "Going to the toilet."
A shop assistant heard: "Ah, over here, over here..."
The shop's interior is shaped like a right angle, with a small, antique-style decorative scene at the far end. Beyond the tea table, through a sliding door, lies the restroom.
After going up, he washed his hands, glanced at the set a few more times, and suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What is that?"
The shop assistant followed his gaze and enthusiastically answered, "That's a guqin. You haven't seen it before, have you? It's an instrument that looks a lot like a guzheng..."
Wen Zheng remained silent for a long while before finally finding his voice and asking in a deep voice, "How much?"
Shop assistant: "???"
***
"Cheers to the newly established King's family!"
Deng Puyue raised his glass high, inviting everyone at the table to drink the fine wine of friendship.
It's 4 PM now, and the party will officially start at 8 PM. They still have about two hours to eat, so they ordered very low-alcohol drinks, just to enjoy the atmosphere.
The five people first exchanged information about their preparation progress, and seeing that everything was going smoothly, they began to eat heartily.
Fresh food is all about the ingredients, but Bei Sining prefers cooked food. Wen Zheng can't help but observe him, feeling a mix of admiration and slight regret.
Halfway through the meal, Bei Sining gave him a surprise—a peeled shrimp was placed on a plate, and the cat spirit said casually, "You're not feeling well, eat more."
Although he couldn't get over the fact that his cat was unwell, Wen Zheng still felt a sense of excitement that his cat ownership hadn't been in vain.
The care I showed was reciprocated, and my heart felt like it had been licked by the dry tongue of a cat with barbs.
Deng Puyue complained of the heat and said he wanted to sit outside and enjoy the cool breeze. Wen Zheng went out to ask the waiter why a certain dish hadn't been served yet, and immediately saw him sitting on the waiting chair with his eyes glazed over and his mouth slightly open.
"Stop drooling." Wen Zheng nudged him and sat down next to him. "What's wrong?"
Deng Puyue wiped her mouth; it was indeed dry. She wasn't angry. "It's nothing. I just wanted to get some fresh air... to clear my head."
"I haven't asked you yet, what exactly did Bai Shuang say?" he asked, casually sending the photos he'd taken yesterday to Deng Puyue. The person next to him had their phone vibrate, and upon opening it, exclaimed in surprise, "You saw it!?"
"Hmm...it's quite memorable." Wen Zheng smiled. "So? Tell me about it?"
Deng Puyue looked at the photo with great affection. Although it was taken by Wen Zheng, a straight man with poor photography skills, it was surprisingly fresh and natural because of the ample lighting.
It looked like they were kissing.
"It's like this: a simp thinks he's going to lose everything, but ends up having everything?" Deng Puyue locked her phone. "I've liked him for a long time, you know. I want to cling to him whenever I see him, and I want to give him things when I can't see him. No matter what he does that ruins his image, I think he's so handsome and manly. You know, Zheng-ge, even though he's different from you, he has a similar aura..."
Wen Zheng paused for a moment. After all, he was his former comrade-in-arms, and some of their habits were indeed similar.
"The first time I saw him was at a live streamer gathering at a karaoke bar. I was drunk and called you to pick me up. He happened to be nearby with you, so we both came. I was really drunk that time, and a guy named Guozili tried to touch me. You probably don't remember his ID... Anyway, you got really angry when you saw him, grabbed his clothes and dragged him aside. Bai Shuang looked down and asked me, 'Are you okay?'"
Deng Puyue's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Damn, he's so handsome. That day, he had all his hair slicked back, wore a chain around his neck, and his collar was so loose that I could see his chest from that angle... He spoke so gently, and his hands were so big. He even pinched my cheek."
Wen Zheng silently recalled in his mind, vaguely remembering something, but he felt that Deng Puyue's description of Bai Shuang was so infuriating. Indeed, beauty is in the eye of the beholder...
"Later, you went to fight, and Bai Shuang took me home. We sat together in the back seat of the car, and he let me lie on top of him, praising me for being soft and saying I was a good girl..."
Wen Zheng silently cracked his knuckles, thinking, "Damn it, that old dog is addicted to flirting with girls."
"Anyway, we got to know each other, and I thought, 'Wow, I'm so smitten! How can someone be so handsome and nice? And yet he's single! I... I have to give it a try.' But he wasn't actually what I imagined at first, but I still like him. I don't know how to explain it, but seeing him makes me sad, and not seeing him makes me sad too. Zheng-ge, I feel like if I don't try, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
Deng Puyue clutched her clothes, tears streaming down her face. "He has so many secrets. I feel like a fool in front of him, but I just can't control myself. You don't know, he's rejected me so many times, but I pretended not to remember and kept going back to him. But he didn't call me out on it, so I think he does like me a little bit. I wonder if if I persist long enough, he might like me more and more, but he's also afraid that if I'm too much of a simp, he'll lose even that little bit of affection. Yesterday I lost control and said some things I shouldn't have. If it doesn't turn out well, I'll regret it so much... Waaah, Brother Zheng..."
Seeing him crying so sadly, Wen Zheng pulled him into his arms.
A surge of heat rose in his chest, and his mind drifted and became blank. Suddenly, he felt great admiration for Deng Puyue and was also grateful to him.
Brave people deserve the best ending; in some ways, he was far inferior to Xiaoyu.
After venting her emotions for a while, Deng Puyue finally calmed down and wiped her face somewhat embarrassedly.
“Ah, I feel great,” he said. “I just feel a little unreal, but Bai Shuang really agreed to give it a try, and she also said she wouldn’t let me cry anymore. I’ve been wanting to cry a lot these past two days, and I just had some drinks and couldn’t control myself, so I came out to sit for a while.”
He laughed again as he spoke: "Hehe, he's already agreed to try, so I'll definitely keep trying. I can't let something that's already in my grasp slip away."
Duck……
Wen Zheng was unsure whether to praise him for using such words. But seeing his tear-streaked face, she softened and raised her sleeve to wipe his face.
"Go wash your face."
"Oh." Deng Puyue sniffed and stood up. "Brother Zheng, I think if there's something you really want, you should try your best to get it. If you miss out without trying, you'll regret it until you die. I won't forgive myself then. Really."
Author's Note: Xiaoyu wishes all the people of the country all their dreams come true and everything goes well!
(This is not the end)
Chapter 58
Wen Zheng hurriedly looked away, hummed in response, and his heart pounded wildly.
When Deng Puyue said those words, the image that popped into his mind was Bei Sining wearing a wide-sleeved robe and looking down at him.
Then came a jumble of fragments and words, tangled into a tangle of threads, engulfing him like a tsunami, slamming him to the ground in a disheveled state.
They had only met for two days. Even including the time they spent together in the game, and taking into account Dahei's cat form, it was only a little over a month. He remembered it all too clearly.
Big Black scratched him, swung his tail at him, and followed him.
She yawns proudly while sitting upright, licks his earlobe during his nightmares, and snuggles into his arms to sleep.
Bei Sining had even more little fidgety movements; his hands were always busy, and he wanted to press every button he saw. His beautiful pupils shone as he stared at the desserts, and he licked his ice cream.
He has broad shoulders, and beneath his clothes lie muscles that possess immense strength. They are warm, supple, and comfortable to lean against, making one feel sleepy.
He can also peel shrimp.
His slender fingers were like white jade, with prominent knuckles, just like him—perfect without a single flaw.
Pale pink fingertips pinched the edge of the shrimp shell, applying slight pressure until they turned white. The shrimp's juices soaked into her fingers, the oil reflecting the restaurant's lights. The next second, that spot of light moved upwards and was taken into the mouth of crimson lips and tongue, licked.
His fingers were clean again, and he deftly picked up the shrimp meat and placed it on his plate.
"Tired?" "Hmph." "He's not well." "Why?" "A name is just a label." "I play the piano very well." "For me?" "Troublesome." "What's this?" "I want..."
—"Wen Zheng".
"Zheng-ge?" Deng Puyue nudged him. "Was your phone ringing? Why isn't it 'Don't be angry' anymore? Did you change your ringtone?"