Chapter 72: You Chong’s True Nature

When Lin Hexi returned to his seat, he saw his phone still on, with the screen displaying the exact page he had deliberately searched to show You Chong.

You Chong was still sitting next to him, head down, looking at the exam paper, showing no sign of being upset or angry.

This puzzled Lin Hexi a little. He exited Zhihu and pulled up his call log. Fang Qingning had indeed called, just as he had planned, and from the call duration, it was clear that You Chong had answered the call for him.

Could it be that after hanging up, You Chong hadn’t noticed what was on his phone?

Lin Hexi put down his phone and tentatively asked You Chong, “Are we going to keep doing questions this morning?”

The latter turned his face, expression unchanged, and his tone sounded very calm. “No more questions.”

Lin Hexi couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile. “So, does that mean we can rest now?”

“No more questions,” You Chong glanced at him lightly, “but I’ll explain the problems to you.”

The smile on Lin Hexi’s lips quickly disappeared. Disappointed, he subtly raised his eyes and glanced at You Chong twice, trying to gauge his mood.

Noticing Lin Hexi’s sneaky glances, You Chong casually asked, “What are you looking at? Don’t feel like studying anymore?”

Lin Hexi smoothly shook his head and replied, quite insincerely, “I want to study.”

Deep down, however, he thought to himself that You Chong probably hadn’t seen the Zhihu page. Otherwise, given his personality, he surely would have realized Lin Hexi did it on purpose. If he had noticed, there’s no way he would’ve let it slide without saying a word—he would’ve been fuming by now.

Lin Hexi felt both regret and relief.

He had only wanted to provoke You Chong a little, not actually get dragged into a confession and apology.

Borrowing a red correction pen from Yang Juan, Lin Hexi sat back, waiting for You Chong to start explaining the problems.

Lin Hexi didn’t expect he’d spend the entire day at the library.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., except for a brief lunch break, he stayed in the study room. He even bought a new notebook and some colorful pens, diligently filling out a notebook with all the mistakes he made on practice problems.

After 3 p.m., Lin Hexi and You Chong packed up their things and left the library, planning to head home to walk the dog.

As they passed through the university town, You Chong suddenly said, “Let’s stop by the supermarket first.”

As he followed him towards the supermarket, Lin Hexi asked, “What are we buying?”

You Chong’s gaze slowly settled on Lin Hexi’s face. “Eating takeout all the time isn’t very healthy.”

Lin Hexi was caught off guard, his expression showing some surprise. “You can cook?”

You Chong replied, “I can.”

Lin Hexi asked again, “Are we buying groceries and cooking dinner ourselves tonight?”

Suddenly, You Chong’s lips curved up in a smile. “How about I make something delicious for you?”

Completely drawn in by his words, Lin Hexi eagerly asked, “What delicious food?”

But You Chong didn’t answer further. He simply replied nonchalantly, “You’ll find out when the time comes.”

They bought a variety of ingredients at the supermarket, with a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, hinting at the richness of their dinner. As they passed other shelves, Lin Hexi added several snacks to the cart.

The manual checkout counters were full of customers waiting to pay, so they headed straight to the self-checkout area. While Lin Hexi bent down to scan the snacks, You Chong quickly took stock of the groceries in the cart. Taking the bag of chips from Lin Hexi’s hand, he said, “We’re still missing a bottle of soy sauce. Go grab one.”

Lin Hexi turned and went to find the soy sauce.

Unfamiliar with the layout of the condiment section, he ended up circling the supermarket twice before finally locating it. After grabbing a bottle without much thought, he started heading back.

You Chong had already finished paying for everything in the cart and packed it all into shopping bags, standing by the self-checkout waiting for him.

Lin Hexi paid for the soy sauce separately, then turned to place it into the shopping bag. The two of them pushed the cart towards the elevator.

After carrying the two large bags back to You Chong’s place, You Chong told him to take the Alaskan dog out for a walk while he stayed behind to prepare the ingredients.

Lin Hexi didn’t leave right away. He squatted in front of the sofa, peeking into the shopping bags. “Do you need my help?”

You Chong, pressing down on his restless hand, lifted the shopping bags away from his face. “Helping when you get back is fine too.”

Thinking it over, Lin Hexi figured that made sense, so he didn’t say anything more. He changed his shoes and took the Alaskan dog out for a walk.

For dinner, You Chong made red wine braised shrimp, pouring the leftover wine into glass cups and setting them on the table.

Clearly not expecting You Chong to actually cook, let alone make something on par with a restaurant’s quality, Lin Hexi kept reaching for the shrimp.

By the end, most of the shrimp had ended up in his stomach.

After dinner, Lin Hexi sat at the table without moving, reaching for the glass of red wine and taking a sip.

The wine from the supermarket wasn’t very good. Lin Hexi set the glass down and got up, offering to clear the dishes. “I’ll do the dishes.”

But You Chong pressed down on his hand, his gaze lifting slightly, and said with a low and meaningful voice, “No rush.”

Lin Hexi froze, about to say something, when he heard You Chong suddenly say, “Go get my phone for me.”

He could only ask, “Where is it?”

You Chong’s eyes were dark and deep. “On the bed in the bedroom.”

Lin Hexi felt a bit suspicious, glancing at You Chong, unable to shake off the strange feeling.

You Chong sat at the table, his expression calm and unreadable, showing no signs of anything out of the ordinary.

Lin Hexi didn’t think much of it and turned toward their bedroom.

The room wasn’t lit, and the light was dim. With the faint glow coming in from the living room, Lin Hexi could just make out something placed in the middle of the bed.

He stepped onto the edge of the bed, kneeling as he reached out to grab the object.

However, what his hand touched didn’t feel like the shape or hardness of a phone.

Feeling slightly startled, Lin Hexi, holding the object, got off the bed and walked over to the wall to turn on the light.

The warm yellow light filled the bedroom instantly, and as Lin Hexi lowered his head to look at what he was holding, his eyelids twitched heavily.

It wasn’t a phone—it was a condom and lubricant.

The realization hit him immediately. Lin Hexi quickly threw the items back onto the bed and hurriedly walked around the wardrobe toward the door—

Only to find You Chong standing there, arms crossed, casually leaning against the doorway, waiting for him.

Behind him stood the Alaskan dog, its eyes bright and full of curiosity.

Lin Hexi’s smile was a bit stiff as he awkwardly curved his lips at You Chong. “I couldn’t find your phone.”

“Oh, really?” You Chong raised his eyebrow nonchalantly and pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket. “No wonder you couldn’t find it. I suddenly remembered, it’s with me.”

Lin Hexi let out a dry laugh, lowering his head as he made to step out of the room. “The dishes still haven’t been washed. I should go wash them.”

But You Chong took a step forward, casually shutting the door behind him and keeping the curious Alaskan dog outside. Ignoring the dog’s dissatisfied whine, he let out a low chuckle. “Why wash the dishes? Didn’t I say I’d give you something delicious?”

As though possessed by Yang Juan, Lin Hexi pointed towards the dining table outside the door, and stammered, “Didn’t we already finish eating?”

The sound of a metal buckle being undone rang sharply in Lin Hexi’s ears, like an ominous warning. His heart raced, and he immediately bolted for the other side of the room.

You Chong let out a cold laugh, grabbed his wrist and pushed him onto the bed, pinning him down on the sheets so he couldn’t move. “Why are you running? Didn’t you imply I wasn’t capable? I’ll show you right now if your boyfriend is capable or not.”

Only then did Lin Hexi realize what was happening. He stared into You Chong’s eyes and asked, “You saw it?”

You Chong’s voice was low. “I’m not blind.”

Lin Hexi almost wanted to laugh, but he fought hard to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

Seeing that there was no way to escape, Lin Hexi quickly calmed down, and his mind raced. He pretended to be angry, cupping You Chong’s face and squeezing it playfully. “Other men pay for their ducks, and you don’t even offer a deposit, yet you want to get with me for free?”

Unfazed, You Chong replied, “Who was it that said they wanted to earlier today?”

Lin Hexi retorted, “That was during the day.”

Earlier, he had deliberately clung to You Chong just to avoid going to the library to study. Now, not only did he fail to secure a deal to skip the library, but he was also about to get taken by You Chong for free. It felt like a complete loss.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt shortchanged. Lin Hexi lifted his head with a sense of righteousness, staring directly and unwaveringly at You Chong.

You Chong gently pried Lin Hexi’s hands off his face, then lowered his head to kiss Lin Hexi’s cheek. “Haven’t I already paid?” he murmured.

Lin Hexi’s mind went blank from the kiss. It took him a long while to remember what they were talking about. As he pushed You Chong’s face aside, he asked skeptically, “What?”

You Chong’s kisses trailed down along Lin Hexi’s jaw, and his deep voice laced with a smile. “The deposit.”

Lin Hexi subconsciously tucked his chin in. “When did you pay?”

You Chong leaned into the crook of Lin Hexi’s neck, his words clear and firm. “You ate it all.”

Realization dawned on Lin Hexi, and he stared up at the ceiling, speechless for a long time.