Chapter 86
JIANG CHENG LAY with his face down on the pillow, his eyes closed. “We should change the sheets,” he said.
“Mm.”
“What time is it?” Jiang Cheng asked, his eyes still closed.
“Not eleven o’clock yet. M’lord still has time to study.”
Jiang Cheng sighed and climbed out of bed. Standing beside it, he glanced back at the bed again. “You. Change the sheets. Now.”
Gu Fei nodded, leaning against the headboard. “Okay.”
“Get going!” Jiang Cheng clapped his hands beside Gu Fei’s head. “Move it!”
The sound made Gu Fei jump. “…Where’d you learn to do that?! Did I not move enough for you just now?”
“Fuck off.” Jiang Cheng grabbed his pajamas to go for a shower.
“Want me to make you a sandwich?” Gu Fei called after him.
“Sure,” Jiang Cheng said as he walked out of the bedroom.
“What sauce do you want on it? Mayonnaise, ketchup, or…”
Jiang Cheng turned round. “Nothing!” he yelled. He could hear Gu Fei’s laughter coming from the bedroom. “I’ll smack you if you keep laughing!”
Gu Fei’s laughter immediately quieted down.
✦ ✦ ✦
After Jiang Cheng’s shower—or rather, after he finished washing all manner of sauces off his body—he went back to his bedroom to find that Gu Fei had already changed the sheets. The well-seasoned bedding from before was folded neatly on a stool.
Next to his pile of study materials on the desk was a plain ham and lettuce sandwich, with a glass of milk sitting beside it.
“I’m going to shower now,” Gu Fei said.
“Okay.” Jiang Cheng sat down at the desk and grabbed the plate.
He liked to have snacks at night when he studied. Probably due to his extensive brain use, he always felt hungry and sleepy around eleven p.m., and he couldn’t keep studying until he had something to eat. That was true now, especially since he hadn’t just exerted his brain, but his body as well.
But when he picked up the sandwich, he took one look at it and put it down again. Two slices of bread, with nothing but ham and lettuce in the middle—Gu Fei had held strictly to his orders and didn’t put any condiments on it. But a sandwich like this was…
Completely and utterly unappetizing!
It even looked bland.
Plain bread without any mayonnaise or butter was totally inedible, even if there was meat and lettuce on it! It looked horrible! It looked like it would taste horrible, too!
However… Jiang Cheng glanced at the jars beside him.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk!
Damnit. It felt like he was looking at porn.
Yes, the spreads they’d been using for their dirty activities had no direct correlation with the sauces in these jars, and they hadn’t used mayonnaise or butter… Still, it was a little difficult to swallow. As soon as he opened his mouth, he was reminded of the lewd scenes.
Ever since he, an overachiever, started hanging out with a delinquent, he’d slid further and further into the abyss of debauchery. No wonder teachers and parents had always advised against mixing good students and slackers together. Just look at what happened!
By the time Gu Fei had finished showering and came back to the bedroom, Jiang Cheng was still staring at the jars, spacing out.
“I bought some yogurt drinks, too.” Gu Fei got out more bread, piled on some ham and lettuce, then quickly slathered some mayonnaise on it and took a big bite. “They’re in the fridge. Want some?”
“Ah.” Jiang Cheng looked at him. “Pretty good appetite you got there, huh?”
“These aren’t the same ones I was using.” Gu Fei pointed at the jars. “I was using blueberry jam and orange marmalade, and I scooped them out first, too. It’s not like I—”
“Gu Fei,” Jiang Cheng said, looking at him earnestly, “shut up.”
Gu Fei grinned at him and didn’t say anything else. He finished his own sandwich in a few quick bites. Then, he pulled over the plate in front of Jiang Cheng, spread some mayonnaise and butter onto the bread, and handed it back to him. Jiang Cheng sighed and took a bite. He really was hungry. Watching Gu Fei eat only made him hungrier.
Now that he’d had his snack, Jiang Cheng turned on the lamp, flopped over the desk, and started to toil away.
Gu Fei turned off the light. He sat at the head of the bed and propped his arms on the desk, watching Jiang Cheng.
“Do you wanna copy my homework?” Jiang Cheng asked, tossing his just-finished pages to Gu Fei.
“I’ll copy it tomorrow morning after I get up,” said Gu Fei. “I’m way too sleepy right now.”
“Your stamina is a little lacking, huh, my lord?” Jiang Cheng said as he went through a worksheet. “And you have the audacity to smoke a post-coital cigarette?”
Gu Fei chuckled. “I didn’t today.”
“Ah… I forgot, too.” Jiang Cheng sighed. “Maybe I should smoke one to make up for it after this page.”
Watching him, Gu Fei collapsed in giggles.
✦ ✦ ✦
Jiang Cheng was actually laser-focused once he started studying, especially with the worksheets Pan Zhi had given him. They were much more difficult than the ones from Fourth High, and it felt more satisfying to solve them.
He finally looked up again after he’d finished a set of questions, stretching his neck muscles and glancing over at Gu Fei. Gu Fei was still sitting at the head of the bed with his arm resting on the desk, but he was already asleep.
Jiang Cheng rose as quietly as he could, then walked out into the living room with a cigarette in his mouth.
It was fully dark outside now. Nearly all the lights from other homes had gone out, leaving the view painted in the yellow glow of a lone streetlamp outside.
Jiang Cheng lit the cigarette and leaned on the windowsill. It had been a while since he came here, but every time he noticed the scenery around him, he still felt a vague sense of unfamiliarity. Occasionally, he still felt like it wasn’t real.
The past few months hadn’t been that eventful, but every single thing that’d happened was vivid enough for him to remember for the rest of his life. At times, he marveled at how he’d come to move from a large, bustling city, a key high school, a not at all warm or comforting but at least outwardly normal family, to this place. He’d gone from utter chaos to having nothing. Then, to…
Turning, he glanced toward the bedroom and saw the haze of warm light from the open door.
Jiang Cheng stubbed out the cigarette, washed up, and returned to his desk.
Gu Fei was still asleep in the same position. Jiang Cheng leaned over and gently tapped Gu Fei’s lips with his finger. There was no reaction. He reached out his finger again and poked the tip of Gu Fei’s nose ever so lightly. Still, Gu Fei didn’t move. With a smile tugging on his lips, Jiang Cheng reached out again for the spot between Gu Fei’s brows.
Gu Fei suddenly lifted a single eyelid. “Cheng-ge,” he said, his voice groggy with sleep. “I want to tell you something.”
“Ah.” Jiang Cheng immediately withdrew his hand. “Did I wake you?”
“I wasn’t asleep.” Gu Fei closed his eye again. “I was just resting my eyes.”
“Huh!” Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue. “I’ve been studying all night and haven’t rested my eyes at all, but you’ve strained yours just from dicking around on your phone?”
“No, from watching you.” Gu Fei smiled and picked up his phone to check the time. “You should get some sleep, Cheng-ge. It’s already past midnight.”
“I’ll go to sleep at exactly one a.m.,” said Jiang Cheng. “You should go to sleep properly. Don’t just rest your eyes.”
“Mm.” Gu Fei scooted down on the bed and laid his head on the pillow.
In the end, Jiang Cheng didn’t close his books until one thirty. He turned the lamp off and felt his way to the bed in the dark. He figured Gu Fei was probably deeply asleep by now, so he climbed into bed carefully for fear of waking him.
As soon as he lay down, Gu Fei rolled over and wrapped him in his arms. “Finally. It’s way past one o’clock.”
Jiang Cheng touched his arm. “…I thought you were already asleep.”
“I was.” Gu Fei buried his face in Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “Told you I left a single nerve up for you.”
“Go back to sleep, then.” Jiang Cheng smiled. “Good night.”
Gu Fei knocked his teeth gently against Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. “Good night.”