Chapter 23: Living Together

With no other choice, Song Chunhui ended up living with a troublemaker who had stolen his house key. Initially, he planned to just muddle through, but since he couldn’t get rid of Li Huan, he decided not to bother, lest he get even more frustrated. Every time, he would get all worked up and talk for ages, but when had that brat ever listened? It was like playing music to a cow, a complete waste of effort. Might as well find a way to make use of him.

Li Huan obediently deleted all the indecent photos and videos from his phone in front of Song Chunhui, including the backups in his files. Then, he tilted his head, leaned on Song Chunhui’s shoulder, and snuggled up to him, acting like a little wife, and coyly asked, “Wifey, am I your legitimate husband now, or just a secret lover?”

“……”

The sofa was narrow, and Song Chunhui was uncomfortable being squeezed by Li Huan’s sturdy frame. He elbowed Li Huan in annoyance and ordered, “Show me the browser history and open the background apps, including the cloud and all software.”

“Don’t you trust me?” Li Huan opened the settings. “I didn’t enable cloud backup. This phone is new, only used for a bit over a month, and you already smashed it like this.”

“……”

Back in September, Song Chunhui was still working at the Jiangcheng headquarters. Now, looking closely at the Apple phone in Li Huan’s hand, it seemed to be the latest model his colleagues had discussed, not cheap, and replacing the screen would probably cost over a thousand.

Damn it, don’t even think about getting a penny from him.

“Why did I smash your phone? Don’t you have a clue?” Song Chunhui took the initiative, “Every action has a consequence. This is your own doing.”

Li Huan said, “I just wanted to keep a memento.”

Deleting those things took a lot of effort, and Song Chunhui felt stifled inside. He asked Li Huan, “What about the guy you kissed last time? Go keep a memento with him. Aren’t you troublemakers always looking for a hole to poke? Or is he just not interested?”

“……” Li Huan snuggled up to Song Chunhui again, “I told you, he was just a colleague from a part-time job. He liked me one-sidedly. I deleted him that night, and now my heart is all on you.”

Song Chunhui didn’t believe a word of it and gave Li Huan another hard elbow, blurting out, “You heartless bastard, you just think I’m better looking than him, right?”

Li Huan chuckled, then cupped Song Chunhui’s face, turned it towards him, and gave him a heavy kiss on the lips, laughing, “Wifey, you’re so cute. I like you because you’re good-looking.”

His nose got bumped by his glasses, and Song Chunhui impatiently pushed Li Huan away, frowning as he scolded him, “What nonsense are you talking about? Trying to distract me? Your sweet talk might fool a ghost, but don’t try to play games with me. Open the phone!”

“You’re scolding me again.” Li Huan held up the phone, showing Song Chunhui all the installed apps one by one, explaining each, and even opened WeChat to prove his innocence.

Seeing that his nickname was still “Baby,” Song Chunhui wanted to curse and tell Li Huan to remove the note, but the chat was pinned at the top of the list, making it particularly noticeable.

So he let it go, knowing that scolding might not work, and decided to let the brat be.

“It’s really all deleted. The built-in browser doesn’t have a cloud function.” Li Huan noticed that Song Chunhui was more cautious than he thought, but fortunately, he was prepared.

Song Chunhui didn’t trust any online cloud storage, always worried that important data might be seen by the server’s backend managers, preferring USB drives and external hard drives for reliability.

When he saw a long list of search entries about men’s hair wax in the browser history, he finally relaxed, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.

“See how much I care about you,” Li Huan seized the opportunity to show off, snuggling up to Song Chunhui, “I’ve been researching which hair wax is good. Yours is too fragrant and might damage your hair. I bought you a new one, and it should arrive in a couple of days.”

Song Chunhui’s expression froze, but in the blink of an eye, his mouth drooped slightly, his face full of disdain, “Don’t pretend to be nice. Keep it for yourself. Act like you’re at work. You’re never serious.”

Four-eyes is hard to deal with, not appreciating kindness is normal.

Li Huan didn’t mind. He knew that striking while the iron was hot was important, but rushing things wouldn’t work. He got up to pack his suitcase, but Song Chunhui called him back.

Finally getting to the point, Song Chunhui said, “Xiao Li, if you’re going to live here, you have to pay rent. I’ll charge you a thousand a month, including utilities and appliance usage. You handle your own meals, but you can use the kitchen. Transfer the money now.”

Damn, this four-eyes…

Li Huan sat back on the sofa, hugging Song Chunhui and whining, “Wifey, what kind of relationship do we have? I give you all my money first thing, and I serve you wholeheartedly in bed. Isn’t this too cruel?”

Song Chunhui didn’t tell Li Huan that the rent for this one-bedroom apartment was only eight hundred a month. As for why he charged a thousand, it was to cover his mental distress.

“You’re making me dizzy. Stop hugging me.” He pushed the clingy guy away, “Aren’t you cruel to me? Always tormenting me. Considering you’re an intern and don’t earn much, I gave you a discount at a thousand. If it were someone else, I’d charge ten thousand.”

Knowing that the miser valued money more than life, Li Huan didn’t argue further. He sat up straight and said, “Wifey, I checked the repair cost for my phone. It’s about three thousand. Can I stay here for three months?”

“……” Song Chunhui was speechless, getting up and cursing, “You little brat, I let you stay, and now you’re pushing your luck. Keep whining, and I’ll kick you out! Your face is so thick it could build a skyscraper. Go build one for yourself. Seeing you annoys me!”

After this incident, Li Huan realized he couldn’t talk money with four-eyes. Money was like a spark, and once touched, this string of firecrackers would explode non-stop.

Exploding once or twice, he could treat it as fun and patiently coax him, but too much would ruin the mood. In the end, it was because four-eyes needed a good lesson.

“Why so worked up? I was just joking.” Li Huan got up and hugged Song Chunhui, gently patting his back, “I don’t have enough money now. How about I give it all to you next month when I get paid?”

Next month meant no chance, and Song Chunhui didn’t expect to get money from Li Huan. Fortunately, Director Wang agreed to cooperate, and he could earn a sum before resigning.

He decided to cancel the two hundred yuan bonus he promised Li Huan.

“Wifey, I can also pay with my body.”

“……Get lost.”

The place wasn’t big, and important documents were all locked in the cabinet.

Song Chunhui briefly explained the dos and don’ts to Li Huan. In front of this junior, he had already lost all dignity, and now he didn’t care about his humble and simple life being scrutinized inch by inch. All he felt was numbness.

After that, Song Chunhui didn’t care what Li Huan did and went to the kitchen to cook some instant noodles.

As the noodles boiled in the pot, he thought about his newly found online romance. He hadn’t had the courage to chat much today, using work as an excuse to avoid it for now.

Speak of the devil, a message from “Jun Jun” popped up on WeChat.

The bedroom was directly connected to the balcony, and Li Huan glanced at the cheap suit hanging on the clothes rack. Next to it was a set of old-fashioned thermal underwear, with colors and styles that screamed of a bygone era. The gray underwear at the end was wrinkled, washed who knows how many times.

It matched four-eyes’ stingy, penny-pinching nature quite well.

Li Huan took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to his only confidant, reminding Cheng Yao not to contact him unless necessary, and to tell the other guys in their circle the same.

Soon, Cheng Yao asked him: [What’s going on? What are you up to?]

Li Huan replied briefly: [I screwed four-eyes and just moved into his place]

Cheng Yao was shocked: [No way, really? Bro, you’re amazing!]

If he were truly amazing, he wouldn’t have to serve someone. Li Huan felt like he was being a grandson to Song Chunhui and didn’t want to talk about it with his confidant, quickly ending the topic.

Then, he started borrowing money from his cousin’s wife, just because Li Ge wouldn’t give him a cent. In contrast, his cousin’s wife, Chen Shuo, was gentle and easy to talk to.

Chen Ge: [Is it really because the screen is broken? I need to ask your brother’s opinion, or you can video call me when you get it repaired so I can confirm]

“……”

At that moment, Li Huan fully understood what it meant to be unable to move an inch without money.

Begging for money here, humbling himself, was worse than being self-reliant, not having to look at four-eyes’ face. Whoever had money was the boss.

*

Jun Jun: [You’ve been so busy these past two days, you don’t want to talk to me anymore. Is it because I didn’t agree to video chat with you?]

This was a huge misunderstanding!

Slurping his noodles, Song Chunhui thought, it’s not because you won’t video chat with me. It’s because that troublemaker poked me in the butt, and I can’t face you, Jun Jun…

Would you despise me, Jun Jun…

The noodles in his mouth instantly lost their flavor, and Song Chunhui sadly wondered if his life was truly over.

A perfectly good straight man, why did he end up doing that with a man? Why did he get poked until he came and wet the bed? He’d never been so embarrassed, no matter how hard, tired, or painful it was. Was he still a man? What normal man would bend over for another man?

Li Huan silently leaned over, slowly getting close to the dazed man.

Seeing that Song Chunhui was still oblivious, he gently pressed his head against his, breaking the silence, “Jun Jun? Such an intimate note, I’m getting jealous.”

“……” Song Chunhui was startled, quickly flipping his phone face down on the table, then elbowing Li Huan away, turning back to scold him, “What are you looking at? Jealous? Why don’t you go eat shit?”

Li Huan straightened up, slightly lowering his head, his gaze sweeping over Song Chunhui’s frowning face, and suddenly his lips curled up, “Sure, wifey, I can eat yours, help you lick it tonight.”

“……” Song Chunhui almost gagged, unable to eat his noodles anymore, hurriedly dodging from the chair, “Disgusting, have some decency, will you?”

“You disgusted me first.” Li Huan was innocent.

Song Chunhui had enough, unwilling to waste the remaining noodles, planning to put them in the fridge for dinner, only to have them snatched by a salty pig’s trotter.

“I’m hungry, let me try.” Li Huan took the chopsticks from Song Chunhui’s hand, slurping up the noodles, chewing and asking, “Why is it tasteless? Not very good.”

“You… I should have strangled you last night!” Just looking at Li Huan made Song Chunhui feel like he was losing a year of his life. The brat was a jinx.

“Can’t do that, my wifey would cry.”

“……”

Staying any longer, Song Chunhui feared he’d go crazy, better to head to the office early for overtime.

He grabbed his car keys, instructing Li Huan before leaving, “Wash the dishes after eating, don’t be late for work, and mind the superior-subordinate relationship at the office.”

“Yes, wifey.”

“……” Song Chunhui felt nauseated, turning to leave.

Li Huan was genuinely hungry, having skipped breakfast and busy moving in at noon, he hadn’t had time to eat. The noodles, though not great, were passable, and he quickly finished them.

After casually washing the dishes, he didn’t rush to leave, leaning back on the sofa, from his remaining two hundred yuan, he pinched out a hundred to buy condoms. Because Song Chunhui didn’t accept high-risk behavior, he kept losing his temper last night, humming and panting, never forgetting to throw in a few curses, putting a lot of blame on him.

Before leaving, Li Huan scanned the simple one-bedroom apartment, pondering what to do with the remaining hundred yuan, something to make four-eyes happy.

Thinking about the tasteless noodles, he guessed Song Chunhui wasn’t good at cooking, and immediately had an idea.

*

Next Tuesday, the contract would be officially signed, and there were many things to arrange. Song Chunhui was busy in the office all afternoon, while his assistant familiarized himself with business knowledge at his desk.

During this time, the assistant didn’t bother the business manager, even thoughtfully making two cups of tea for the manager, addressing him as “Manager” with every word, showing great respect.

“Knock knock—”

“Come in.”

“Manager, I’m off work.” Looking at Song Chunhui, who didn’t lift his head, Li Huan took a step forward and quietly teased, “Wifey, what time are you getting off work?”

“……”

Song Chunhui didn’t look up at Li Huan, just said, “I’m not done with work, working overtime tonight, you go ahead, close the door.”

“Then I’m leaving, Manager.” Li Huan turned and left.

The office door was gently closed, and only then did Song Chunhui look up. For a moment, he felt quite foolish, wondering why he hadn’t dealt with Li Huan, the little pervert, a few days earlier, saving himself a lot of trouble and almost getting a murder charge. It really wasn’t worth it.

He thought, just consider it a few more days of indulgence.

This deal had a commission of ten thousand, hard-earned money. Once everything was settled, he’d apologize to his online romance and see if there was a chance to continue.

WeChat chimed, and Song Chunhui thought it was his online romance again, worried about how to explain, knowing he could squeeze in some time, but afraid of being too obvious.

Opening it, he saw it was his junior.

Chunxun: “Hui Ge, have you been really busy these days?”

Not sure if his online romance had communicated with his junior, Song Chunhui replied: [Yeah, I’m still working overtime at the company, just closed a deal today, signing the contract next week, I’m exhausted]

Chunxun: [That’s great, we must celebrate!]

Song Chunhui had no mood to celebrate, perfunctorily telling his junior they’d meet when he returned to Jiangcheng, and reminding him to take care of his health and find a partner to bring home for the New Year.

After chatting, he noticed a new friend request at the bottom. Clicking in, it was Luo Dagui’s son, Luo Hu, who had changed his WeChat number to add him.

Song Chunhui guessed this would happen. A relationship bound for over twenty years couldn’t be severed just like that. The lie he casually made up was too far-fetched, couldn’t hold water.

He directly ignored it, staying quietly in the office until 8:30, then grabbed his briefcase and left.

What was meant to come couldn’t be avoided, no need to fight with himself.

With this mindset, Song Chunhui returned to his place. Standing downstairs, he instinctively looked up, seeing the third-floor left unit lit up, warm yellow light spilling from the kitchen window.

Little brat…

If he wasn’t cooking at this hour, how much electricity would he waste?

Climbing the stairs, Song Chunhui even rehearsed the lines to scold Li Huan. Thanks to the jinx, his emotions had been unstable lately, and his manners had deteriorated, affecting his personal image and temperament.

But as soon as he opened the door, a rich aroma of food mixed with the smell of smoke hit him, and he immediately saw the two dishes and a soup on the dining table, along with two steaming bowls of rice.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, the swallowing motion revealing his hunger.

Li Huan came out with two pairs of chopsticks, seeing Song Chunhui standing at the door in a daze, he quickly pulled him inside, then closed the door, taking away Song Chunhui’s briefcase, smiling, “Wifey, you’ve worked hard overtime, I personally cooked for you.”

“……” The lines he prepared were useless, Song Chunhui’s face tensed, taking off his suit while saying, “Who knows if it’s poisoned, you eat it yourself.”

Li Huan’s smile froze, immediately looking aggrieved, “Why say that? I put effort into preparing this for you, wanted to give you a surprise.”

“……” Song Chunhui was momentarily speechless, changing into slippers, then went to the bedroom to change out of his suit pants. After hanging the suit on a hanger and returning to the living room, Li Huan was still standing there, looking at him with puppy eyes.

He didn’t know what to say, adjusted his glasses, and Li Huan remained motionless, his presence too strong, making the small living room feel cramped.

“Fine, I’ll eat, okay?” Song Chunhui relented.

Li Huan instantly smiled, “That’s more like it.”

Potato stew with beef, stir-fried cauliflower with meat, tomato egg soup, all looked and smelled delicious. Song Chunhui was surprised, not expecting the brat to be such a good cook.

When he tried a bite of the stir-fried cauliflower with meat, he immediately noticed something was off. It wasn’t that it tasted bad, but it was too good. The flavor couldn’t have come from simple kitchen seasonings, and the texture felt like it had been reheated.

“Is it good, wifey?” Li Huan eagerly served Song Chunhui some beef.

No matter what, it was the brat’s intention, after all, he spent money. Just the potato stew with beef must have cost dozens, the whole meal probably eighty or ninety.

Song Chunhui didn’t expose him, saying, “It’s okay.”

“Pretty good, huh,” Li Huan was curious, “Is your taste different from normal people? It’s better than the moo shu pork rice you bought last time, right?”

Song Chunhui nodded perfunctorily, burying his head in his meal.

Two grown men quickly polished off the food.

After the meal, Li Huan voluntarily took the dishes to the kitchen, washing them for the second time, only to be scolded for squeezing out a big glob of dish soap.

“Why so much for a few dishes?” Song Chunhui couldn’t stand it, directly entering the kitchen to instruct Li Huan on washing dishes, “Didn’t you help your mom wash dishes at home?”

“……” Li Huan just wanted to spank Song Chunhui, “My mom spoils me, can’t you spoil me a bit, wifey?”

Song Chunhui: “You’re a grown man, don’t you feel embarrassed saying that? Can your mom spoil you forever? Out in the world, who doesn’t rely on themselves?”

Li Huan immediately interrupted, “You just know how to scold me. Between a couple, isn’t it about you spoiling me, and me spoiling you? I care about you working overtime, you don’t care about me washing dishes.”

Song Chunhui: “……”

Talking to the brat always made him anxious, so Song Chunhui simply stopped talking, went to the balcony to get his change of clothes, planning to shower and sleep. Passing through the living room, he remembered something and asked Li Huan.

“I threw it away.” Li Huan said.

“Who told you to throw it away?” Song Chunhui got anxious again, “That medicine cost me a lot!”

“It was unnecessary, why take random medicine?” Li Huan said, “Tell me how much, when I earn money, I’ll pay you back double.”

Song Chunhui was still thinking about finding a way to resell it, to reduce his losses, but Li Huan’s nonchalant attitude infuriated him. The point wasn’t that Li Huan threw the medicine away, it was that he disposed of his things without permission.

“Talking big, do you have money? Can’t even pay a thousand in rent, and you’re talking nonsense? And why are you using so much water to wash a few dishes?! Water isn’t free! Wasteful brat.”

“……”

Trying to wash dishes in good faith but getting scolded, Li Huan was also annoyed, holding back his temper. Four-eyes needed a good lesson, tonight he’d give it to him.

When Song Chunhui entered the bathroom, Li Huan quickly followed.

“What are you doing, get out!” Song Chunhui’s gaze was wary.

“Didn’t you just complain about me using too much water?” Li Huan smiled, “Let’s shower together, save water.”

Song Chunhui: “……”

Seeing Song Chunhui standing still, Li Huan swiftly took off his shirt, then raised his arm, his biceps bulging, showing off his strength.

“Wifey, I’m very strong.” He seriously asked, “Are you going to kick me out?”

“……” Song Chunhui was speechless, repeatedly warning Li Huan to only shower, not do anything else.

Worried the little pervert wouldn’t listen, he had to add, “We can do it once in the bedroom, I have to go out tomorrow, want to sleep early, don’t go over an hour, don’t go inside.”

Heaven helps those who help themselves.

Li Huan finally felt vindicated, lifting Song Chunhui like a child, raising him high. Song Chunhui’s head almost hit the ceiling, startled by the sudden move, instinctively wrapping his arms around Li Huan’s head, starting his usual grumbling, muttering all sorts of complaints.

“You beast, you’ve lowered my standards!”

“Mm-hmm, keep scolding, you’ll be calling out later.”

……

A chaotic day finally came to an end.

Song Chunhui was forced to stay in a firm, hot embrace. They really only did it once, so he didn’t mind Li Huan holding him.

He opened and closed his eyes, confirming the darkness was pitch black.

“Wifey, where are you going tomorrow?”

Perhaps because the room had someone in it, Song Chunhui found he wasn’t as afraid of the dark anymore, it was time to grow up, to say goodbye to the fragile self of his childhood.

The future was still something to look forward to.

……

Song Chunhui woke up feeling hot and bloated, his stomach uncomfortable. Groggily reaching out, he felt a lump. Thinking of his former boss who had a terminal illness, he worried if he too had some incurable disease.

Please don’t get sick, there were still so many wishes unfulfilled.

“Wifey, you’re awake.”

Song Chunhui’s eyes snapped open, realizing what Li Huan was doing, he exploded, “Are you crazy, did I say you could do that, get out, or I’ll cut you with a knife!”

“Can’t blame me,” Li Huan nuzzled against Song Chunhui’s neck, “You kept snuggling into my arms, and kept touching my chest, if I’m lying, may I be struck by lightning.”

“……” Song Chunhui was speechless.

Li Huan: “You seem to really like touching my chest?”

Song Chunhui: “Nonsense. I’m a straight man, I like women with big chests, your whole body is useless except for that.”

Li Huan: “I’m hurt.”

Song Chunhui: “Ah—”

Li Huan deliberately teased Song Chunhui, “Say sorry, and I’ll forgive you.”

“You…” Song Chunhui was about to curse when the phone on the bedside table rang, not the alarm. He reached out of the covers to grab it, seeing it was his junior calling.

And it was already eight o’clock, he hadn’t slept in this late in a long time.

“Answer it.” Li Huan stopped.

Thinking his junior had something urgent, Song Chunhui quickly answered, “Chunxun, what’s up?”

“Hui Ge, I’m in Ancheng, at your door.”

“……” Song Chunhui was instantly flustered, stammering, “Uh, Chunxun, wait a bit, I’m getting up, ouch—”

“What’s wrong, Hui Ge?”

“Hit the bedside table, wait a bit!”

Song Chunhui quickly hung up, scrambling out of bed, only to be pulled back by a strong arm around his waist.