Chapter 19: Living Below You 

You Chong bent down and got into the car, reaching out to press the horn.

The long, sharp sound echoed along the empty street, and Lin Hexi looked up when he heard it, spotting You Chong’s car parked on the opposite side of the road.

He stood up, gripping his phone, and hung the bag of medicine on his arm as he crossed the road toward the car.

Once inside, Lin Hexi caught You Chong’s glance through the rearview mirror. He heard You Chong ask in an indistinct tone, “Why didn’t you go back first?”

Lin Hexi didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he slowly shifted his gaze, first looking down at the game-over screen on his phone, showing that he had lost. Only then did he lift his head with a look of regret.

He thought for a moment and then said, “Well… while waiting for you, I played several rounds of games. By the time I finished, I realized that half an hour had already passed. After the restaurant closed, I came out to hail a taxi across the street, but before I could get one, you showed up.”

The subtle, complex emotions in You Chong’s heart vanished instantly. He withdrew his gaze, and as he started the car, his voice dropped into a mocking tone, “Your hand is wrapped up like that, and you still have the leisure to play games.”

Noticing the clear shift in You Chong’s mood, Lin Hexi looked thoughtfully at his profile for a moment. “You didn’t actually think I was still waiting for you, did you?”

You Chong couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. “I never said that.”

Lin Hexi, in his usual good-natured way, agreed, “Yes, yes, you didn’t say that. So,” he continued, relaxing into the back seat like a lazy cat, and said with his eyes half-closed with a blatant curiosity in his tone, “why did you turn around and come back then?”

You Chong fell silent.

He didn’t plan to lie to Lin Hexi, nor did he intend to explain himself. He had expected that, given Lin Hexi’s mischievous nature, he would likely take the opportunity to tease him further.

But to his surprise, Lin Hexi didn’t push the issue. Instead, he smiled at You Chong through the rearview mirror and even offered him a way out, saying, “Maybe taking this route back to school is faster?”

You Chong hesitated for a moment, then simply replied, “Yes.”

By the time they returned to the university town, it was already past 11 PM. You Chong parked the car outside the south gate of the school and reminded Lin Hexi to get out.

Lin Hexi remained seated in the car, not moving. “The dorm curfew has already passed,” he sighed, resting his chin on his hand. “Once the dorm supervisor goes to bed, she won’t come out to open the door for me.”

You Chong said nothing and didn’t ask where Lin Hexi planned to spend the night. He simply drove away from the school gate.

After recognizing the route to the underground parking lot of the residential area in Chengnan, Lin Hexi couldn’t help but joke, “Are you taking me to your place for the night?”

Surprisingly, the driver didn’t deny it.

Lin Hexi raised his eyebrow in slight astonishment. “Is your couch long enough? Will it fit my legs?”

You Chong backed the car into a parking space in the garage and then turned to him, speaking in a flat tone, “The couch might not be long enough.”

Lin Hexi laughed, “Then forget it—”

Before he could finish, You Chong added, “But the bed will fit.”

Lin Hexi froze for a moment, not knowing what to say.

After some thought, he decided that it was still too early to go to sleep, so he might as well go up and hang out for a bit. He didn’t mention to You Chong that he actually lived just downstairs. After grabbing the bag of medicine, he got out of the car and followed You Chong into the elevator up to the 18th floor.

You Chong entered the electronic lock code to open the door and pulled out a new pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet. He tossed them in front of Lin Hexi, indicating for him to put them on.

As Lin Hexi bent down at the entrance to take off his shoes and change into the slippers, he noticed a lingering gaze fixed on his back for a long moment.

Maintaining his bent-over posture, Lin Hexi felt both puzzled and curious as he looked up, only to discover that at some point, a tall, well-built Alaskan Malamute with a beautiful coat had silently appeared in front of him. The dog stood there with its fluffy gray ears perked up, staring intently at him without moving.

Lin Hexi’s eyes lit up. He quickly finished changing into the slippers, closed the door behind him, and quietly walked toward the dog.

The gray-and-white Alaskan Malamute raised its head, looking at him with a mixture of caution and pride.

Lin Hexi stopped in front of the dog and crouched down, asking You Chong, who was in the living room getting a drink of water, “What’s your dog’s name?”

You Chong walked over with a glass of water and called out the dog’s name, “Fantuan.”

The Malamute’s fluffy ears twitched slightly, and it wagged its tail as it trotted over to where You Chong was standing. As it turned, the tip of its tail brushed right across Lin Hexi’s face, covering him in a flurry of fur.

Lin Hexi stood up and walked into the living room. He placed the bag of medicine casually on the table, then sat down on the sofa. Using his uninjured hand, he patted the empty space beside him, calling out for Fantuan. However, the Alaskan Malamute simply circled around You Chong’s legs, ignoring him completely.

Feeling a bit disappointed, Lin Hexi tilted his face up to look at You Chong.

Noticing his somewhat pitiful expression, You Chong raised his eyebrow ever so slightly. “If you want to pet him, you’ll have to figure it out yourself.”

Lin Hexi slowly lowered his eyes, contemplating for a moment. Then, with some hesitation, he looked back up at You Chong and said, “Can you come over here? There’s something I need to confess to you.”

You Chong remained where he was, unmoving. “What is it?”

With a face full of hesitation, Lin Hexi said something very softly, almost inaudible.

You Chong, standing too far away to hear clearly, set down his glass of water and took a few steps closer to the sofa, frowning slightly as he asked, “What did you say?”

Sitting on the sofa, Lin Hexi reached out to tug at his shirt.

You Chong sidestepped, avoiding Lin Hexi’s hand. “If you have something to say, just say it. Keep your hands to yourself.”

Lin Hexi replied, “Then come a little closer.”

You Chong looked at him steadily, as if weighing the credibility of his words. After a moment, with a cold expression, he stepped closer.

Without warning, Lin Hexi flashed him a smile.

Now that they were close enough, You Chong could clearly see the slight curve of Lin Hexi’s lips. Though his face was full of confusion, You Chong couldn’t help but lower his guard.

When You Chong realized that Lin Hexi was reaching out to grab him again, it was too late to avoid it. He could only let the other man’s hand grip his forearm.

To his surprise, Lin Hexi’s grip was quite strong, pulling You Chong off balance and causing him to fall toward the spot on the sofa where Lin Hexi was sitting. In that brief moment, memories of Lin Hexi’s countless flirtatious antics flashed through You Chong’s mind.

You Chong’s expression darkened, and he instinctively moved to push Lin Hexi away.

But as his hand reached out, he suddenly remembered the bandages on Lin Hexi’s arm. He quickly changed course, his palm brushing lightly against the bandages before landing on the sofa beside Lin Hexi, narrowly avoiding a collision with him.

Anger surged within him, and You Chong pushed himself up with one hand, ready to lash out at Lin Hexi. But before he could say anything, he saw Lin Hexi, seemingly unfazed by what had just happened, turn toward him, casually leaning over to pull the Alaskan Malamute that had jumped onto the middle of the sofa into his arms. With a satisfied expression, Lin Hexi began to contentedly pet the dog’s fur, as if nothing unusual had occurred.

After realizing Lin Hexi’s true intention, You Chong was so frustrated that he let out a bitter laugh, but he swallowed the words he was about to say.

Just as his mood began to settle, Lin Hexi shifted his gaze from the Alaskan Malamute, as if finally remembering that there was someone else on the sofa. He looked up thoughtfully at You Chong and said, “Didn’t I just mention that I had something to confess to you?”

You Chong reminded him with a less than pleased tone, “Weren’t you just tricking me so I would help you get the dog onto the sofa?”

“That’s part of it,” Lin Hexi admitted, his eyes gradually clearing, and he sheepishly rubbed his nose. “But I really do have something to tell you.”

You Chong’s gaze sharpened as he looked at him. “What is it?”

Lin Hexi replied, “Actually, I live downstairs.”

“Downstairs?” You Chong’s voice was dangerously low. “Which downstairs?”

Lin Hexi responded, “Your downstairs.”

You Chong’s expression darkened completely.

Two minutes later, Lin Hexi found himself being unceremoniously kicked out of the apartment.

He crouched outside the door, putting on his shoes, while You Chong stood inside, glaring at him with a cold expression. The Alaskan Malamute faithfully followed You Chong, staying close by his side.

After placing the slippers neatly inside the door, Lin Hexi, not wanting to leave, reached out to give the fluffy head of the Malamute a final pat. He looked up with an expectant expression, and asked, “Will it still recognize me next time I come over?”

You Chong glanced down at his face, and spoke with a tone that suggested he was almost gritting his teeth, “Are you so sure you’ll get another chance to step foot in here?”

The next second, the door slammed shut right in front of him.

After a brief moment of surprise, Lin Hexi blinked, then stood up with a smile, pressing the down button on the nearby elevator with empty hands. While waiting, he casually muttered to the closed elevator doors, “How do you know I won’t have a next time?”