“It’s fine,” Xie Dongcheng shook his head naturally.

Yu Zi quickly scanned the person in front of him in his mind. He didn’t mind sharing a bed with a man, but he was a light sleeper. In case this person had any strange sleeping habits, he didn’t want to stay awake all night.

“Isn’t there a sofa?” Xie Dongcheng pointed to the small sofa in the living room when he saw Yu Zi not speaking.

Yu Zi turned his head to estimate the width of the sofa; it didn’t seem to exceed 1.6 meters. He could probably manage to sleep with his legs curled up.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Although Yu Zi was used to a life of luxury, he also understood that he had no right to choose at the moment.

Soon, he placed his bag on the sofa, then sat down and patted the cushion.

The elasticity was decent, and it was neither too soft nor too hard, enough to sleep on. At least it was much better than the garbage mattress in that motel.

“Okay.” Yu Zi nodded towards Xie Dongcheng.

But the person in front of him looked surprised, “No, what I meant was, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“You?!” Yu Zi sized up his figure, “You won’t fit on this sofa.”

“I can sleep, I’m used to it.” Xie Dongcheng said, nervously clutching his trouser seam.

Yu Zi paused for two seconds, pondering the meaning of “used to it.” Could it be that he had previously stayed overnight with someone else?

Since the conversation had reached this point, he couldn’t refuse any further.

“Thank you for your kindness. If I find a new place to stay, I’ll move out immediately. I apologize for the inconvenience during this period,” Yu Zi said.

“No, there’s no need to rush.” Xie Dongcheng shook his head. “I’m used to having no one around. I… don’t feel disturbed.”

Strange, really strange.

Although Yu Zi had only worked for a few days, he couldn’t understand why someone would have such kindness towards their former employer.

“Have you eaten, Boss Yu?”

“Not yet.” Yu Zi stood up from the sofa, unable to help himself, “Also, don’t call me boss anymore.”

He was not Xie Dongcheng’s employer anymore, let alone a boss.

“Then what should I call you?” Xie Dongcheng’s eyes were sincere, seeming genuinely eager to find a suitable answer.

“Just call me by my name.”

“Okay, Boss Yu.” Xie Dongcheng nodded.

Yu Zi sighed.

“Ah, Yu, Yu Zi…” Xie Dongcheng seemed to have a knot in his tongue, struggling for a while before finally uttering these simple two words.

It wouldn’t be good for the two of them to stay stiff in the house. Xie Dongcheng walked to the kitchen, thinking of making something for lunch. But upon opening the fridge, apart from two tomatoes and a few bottles of beer, there was nothing that could be called ingredients.

Xie Dongcheng scratched his head awkwardly. “How about we go out to eat?”

Yu Zi hadn’t had a proper meal for several days, so he nodded after a moment of thought. “I’ll treat you.”

The sky outside the window was already darkening, so Xie Dongcheng took a large umbrella from the shoe cabinet at the door.

Yu Zi opened the door and coincidentally met the neighbor from the opposite door, an old lady, coming out.

The old lady seemed a bit short-sighted; she squinted at Yu Zi for a few moments before noticing Xie Dongcheng behind him and greeted him, “Dongcheng, did you bring your girlfriend back?”

Xie Dongcheng’s legs froze halfway, and he laughed awkwardly, “Grandma, no, he’s a guy.”

Obviously, the old lady’s ears weren’t working too well either. “Ah? From Hunan? Hunan is good, spicy!”

Yu Zi had rarely felt embarrassed in the twenty-five years of his life, except for this moment.

“We’re going out for dinner, Grandma, you stay at home,” Xie Dongcheng quickly explained, taking Yu Zi downstairs.

The old lady was kind-hearted though, standing at the staircase railing, shouting down, “Dongcheng, treat your girlfriend to something nice! Don’t be stingy.”

Walking behind him, Yu Zi saw Xie Dongcheng’s ears turn red. The redness spread from the ears to the back of his head like a cooked iron egg.

Yu Zi found this comparison amusing in his mind and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Xie Dongcheng stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at him, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. You’re quite interesting.” Yu Zi stood on the higher step, reached out, and pushed his shoulder.

Xie Dongcheng seemed startled by this natural physical contact, unsure which leg to move next. It took him several seconds before he managed to continue.

Once they were out of the community, Xie Dongcheng seemed to have taken the old lady’s words to heart and specifically found a restaurant with a nice environment.

“I’ll treat you,” he said, turning to Yu Zi.

“No, I’ll be staying at your place, so I should pay,” Yu Zi ignored his words, pulled out a chair, and sat down, picking up the menu.

“You really don’t have to. It’s only right for me to treat you when you come to my place,” Xie Dongcheng insisted.

Yu Zi couldn’t come up with another reason, and he was indeed at the end of his rope now.

After the dishes arrived, Yu Zi took out a pack of disinfectant wipes from his bag and carefully wiped the utensils. He had a slight obsession with cleanliness and found it difficult to tolerate the restaurant’s communal cutlery. In the past, the housekeepers and maids at home would sterilize all the tableware before meals to avoid displeasing him.

After wiping his own utensils, he raised an eyebrow at Xie Dongcheng.

“Hmm?” Xie Dongcheng looked puzzled.

“I’ll wipe yours too.” Yu Zi reached out and grabbed the glass in front of him, but Xie Dongcheng didn’t have time to let go. Their fingertips touched.

Yu Zi’s fingers were slightly cold and very soft. Xie Dongcheng’s hands were much rougher than his, and the friction of their completely different skin textures touching was palpable.

Boom—

In an instant, Yu Zi saw the iron egg in front of him turn red again, his ears burning as if they were about to bleed.

For some reason, Yu Zi actually felt a bit mischievous. He leaned halfway across the table, leaned close to Xie Dongcheng’s eyes, and asked, “Have you never touched a man’s hand before?”

Xie Dongcheng’s eyes were blank, as if his focus was fixed on Yu Zi’s lips, unable to move. Three seconds later, he stuttered, “No, I mean, uh…”

Seeing that Xie Dongcheng’s brain was almost shutting down, Yu Zi retracted his body and sat back in his chair, no longer teasing him, just smiling at him.

After a while, he asked, “How did you get my contact information?”

“Ah, that…” Xie Dongcheng’s mind still hadn’t turned the corner, so Yu Zi changed the subject. It took him a while to remember to answer, “I already had your phone number.”

Still unreasonable, Yu Zi still couldn’t understand why he would actively seek him out and even offer his own bed for him to sleep on.

“Can I ask why?” Yu Zi raised his eyelids, his attitude unusually sincere.

“Why did I invite you to my house?” Xie Dongcheng did a little reading comprehension.

“Yes.”

Xie Dongcheng hesitated for two seconds and then spoke, “You lent me five thousand yuan.”

Yu Zi hadn’t expected this answer.

“I lent you money?” He had no recollection of it whatsoever.

“Yes. I was in a bit of a difficulty at the time, and you overheard me making a phone call downstairs. Then you handed me five thousand yuan in cash.” Xie Dongcheng seemed afraid of leaving a bad impression, explaining, “Later, I wanted to repay you, but you suddenly went on a trip. When you came back and I asked you, you said there was no need to repay.”

“So you can just stay here at ease. Consider it me repaying you.” Xie Dongcheng looked into his eyes, speaking sincerely.

Although Yu Zi couldn’t recall the details of this incident, he felt that what the other party said might be true.

Back when he had money, he was quite generous, lending money to acquaintances and strangers alike.

He didn’t expect anyone to pay him back; he considered it charity.

He never thought he would actually accumulate some good karma.

Looking at the buzz-cut man in front of him, he suddenly thought of his own estranged relatives who had vanished into thin air, feeling a bit disgusted out of nowhere. Yu Zi shook his head to clear these unpleasant thoughts from his mind.

However, he still had one last question in his mind.

“But how did you know I had nowhere to stay?”

The bankruptcy of the Yu family was well-known in North City. But Yu Qing’s departure abroad had been handled very discreetly, to the point where many relatives were unaware of it. Nobody cared about the whereabouts of this marginal figure.

Why did he know about his predicament?

“Oh, that day I was working at the motel next door, and I happened to see you go in.”

“I see.” Yu Zi nodded, but then he noticed something was off.

“Wait, you were working at a motel?”

Yu Zi glanced at the slight rise and fall of Xie Dongcheng’s chest under his T-shirt.

“Yeah,” Xie Dongcheng nodded, “I go there often, several times a week.”