When Xia Rong told Cheng Yu about moving to Su Chi’s house, he was still rather tactful.
He figured at least Su Chi had a Xiao1 Wu to help out if needed. Although when he asked Su Chi after the fact, the other said Xiao Wu only knew that he would occasionally turn into a cat and didn’t know anything else, even so, Xiao Wu would still be able to help out in those special occasions. Xia Rong felt that there should also be a person on his side who knows of the situation, in case there might be an accident one day where Su Chi was also absent from his side. If that were to happen and he didn’t even have an alternative seek help from, then it would truly be a lost cause with nowhere to appeal.
Besides, Cheng Yu is his friend and the other had already been extremely worried last time when he had suddenly disappeared, so Xia Rong should give him an explanation.
However, while he thought he was being tactful, Cheng Yu went and exclaimed on the other side, “When did you two get together? Now you’re going to cohabitate?!”
“What do you mean ‘get together’? We’re as pure as the water from melted Tian Shan snow, okay?” Xia Rong continued, “We’re just living together. Don’t think of things so dirtily.”
When he went on to explain the reason, due to Cheng Yu’s busy schedule and the fact that there were a lot of people around where Xia Rong was called, it wasn’t convenient for him to give too much details through the phone. So Xia Rong only explained it as there have been certain unusual changes with his and Su Chi’s bodies and they had some special needs, that it was best for them to live together. So as soon as Su Chi suggested it, he conveniently agreed as he couldn’t think of any reason to refuse.
As for all the other in-depth details, he wouldn’t be able to finish explaining, so those can wait until they meet for dinner to slowly discuss.
“Certain changes with your body?” Xia Rong’s plan was quite decent, but unexpectedly, Cheng Yu’s imagination had long flourished fantastically. “Could it be that after a night of passion, you’ve become pregnant with his child, so because of your identities, he suggested for you to move to his home so you can rest at ease during the pregnancy?”
“Scram! Scram, scram!” Xia Rong bursted into a rage. “You’re the one that’s pregnant! This father’s a real man of iron and blood!”
“Fine, fine, fine. Good to know that you’re not pregnant with a new small life, that’s good.” When Cheng Yu originally said this it was in part to deliberately tease Xia Rong. He got serious and gave it a little ponder, then asked, “He was the one who took the initiative to invite you to move into his house? Why his house, yours won’t do?”
Xia Rong answered casually, “It’s all the same. Either way, I’m not particular to one bed. I’ll go first and try it for two days, if I can’t adapt, I’ll just have him move here instead. This part doesn’t matter.”
“I know. However, the point isn’t whether or not you’ll be able to adjust, but why did he propose for you to move into his house?”
“Didn’t I tell you already, it’s because of physical reasons. I’ll tell you in full detail when I see you next week.”
“Don’t pretend to be dumb.”
“…What is there to pretend.” Xia Rong was sitting in the dressing room where people were coming in and going out. As it wasn’t his turn yet, he was just sitting on top of a table, gently swaying his long legs back and forth. He lowered his voice, “I know what you’re trying to say. How would I know, the other person’s been upright. Even when we slept on the same bed, he wouldn’t even bump into me once. Either way, I can’t tell.”
After a pause, he again continued, “This physical reason of ours really is rather complicated. It’s true that it really would be much more convenient if we live together, don’t randomly start suspecting when there isn’t any evidence. It’s very likely that the other person doesn’t have that intention, you know. His face is so handsome, his body’s so good, everything else is no worse than me. How disgraceful would it be if we were to shower affection on an uninterested party.”
“En, it seems like I can see it now, whether Su Chi has that sort of intention towards you, I can’t tell for certain right now—” Cheng Yu said indifferently, “But I can tell that you’ve become spoiled.”
“…Why have I become spoiled? ” Xia Rong refused to accept this. “I’m not allowed to say the objective truth?”
“I’m hanging up, I don’t want to talk to people with the colored glasses of a fan.”
“…Where do I have the colored glasses of a fan? I already consider him a brother, with a bit of a favorable impression, can’t I admire him a bit? If I don’t appreciate him, how could I consider him a brother? Don’t always just look at the world with your bromance-filled eyes. ‘Brother’, ‘bro’, you understand?”
Cheng Yu didn’t care at all what “brother” was. Just as he said he was hanging up, he decisely hung up, leaving Xia Rong alone to feel indignant towards the phone that was going ‘du—du—’.
=====
The property that Su Chi lived in the most was in Nuanyang district of B City. Although it was only a two-story duplex apartment, it was a detached unit where there was good security in place and the environment was beautiful. It was already considered a luxury residence in this urban area of B City, where land was so expensive.
Xia Rong also had a property in B City, but as he originally wanted peace and quiet and didn’t want to suffer the crowdedness, what he bought was a small villa in the suburbs of B City. When he first bought the house, Xia Rong had only debuted for a year or so, so he rather took things for granted. Although the villa was indeed quiet and elegant, it was only after he actually moved in that Xia Rong realized this, whenever he had to rush for his schedules, especially when he would run into the clogged up traffic jam on the way back every time, he would have to spend several hours on the road. There was simply no need to explain how vexing it was.
He hasn’t lived in that villa even that many times since he bought it. And as the waters of the real estate of B City was so deep, he didn’t even bother to spend any time on looking at housing locations or house inspections. Instead, every time that he came back to B City, he would just make do with a starred hotel.
So this time, after the gala held by an online video website wrapped up, Xia Rong took advantage of the night and went back to Su Chi’s home with the other person.
As expected, Su Chi’s home was basically in the minimalist Nordic-style dominated by black, white and gray tones. This was especially the case with the bedroom on the second floor. After Xia Rong entered, he saw that except for the side that was the wall with the door, the other three were all floor to ceiling transparent glass. The three-sided French windows were spotless and one could see all the trees planted in the community and the lights in the distance very clearly.
Cool, it was indeed rather cool, but it also looked very cold.
“You’re able to fall asleep here at night?” Xia Rong looked down through the French window and said, “I kept feeling that the space is too empty, like it lacks security. Is the second bedroom also in this style?”
Su Chi recalled Xia Rong’s home in S City. In the other’s master bedroom, there was only a large fluffy soft bed against the wall and one bay window. The lighting was dim and warm. From just a glance and one could tell it was a good place to fall asleep, that if one just stayed a bit longer, one would start feeling drowsy.
Although Xia Rong had said he didn’t live there often, since it was his own house, he would still furnish it in a way that suited his taste.
…I actually didn’t think of this point, such a miscalculation.
“Don’t like it?” Su Chi hadn’t insisted that Xia Rong must live in his home specifically, after all, cohabitation was the true core purpose. “It’s not a problem to change to another place. I also have a two bedroom with one living room in the third ring that was renovated by someone else, which should feel warmer…”
“Oh, no need to go through the trouble.” Xia Rong looked back and said with a smile, “It’s fine to just live here. The commute is convenient and it’s close to work. The more I look at this design, the cooler it feels. It’ll be fine after I get used to it.”
“However, it has to be someone else who chose the renovation to make it warmer? Just how much do you love this frigid style?” Xia Rong again jokingly said, “Be careful that you won’t be able to find a girlfriend in the future.”
Su Chi said, “I’m not looking for a girlfriend.”
“En?” Xia Rong’s heart quietly perked up, eyes blinking as he stared at the other. “Why, why is that?”
Su Chi’s expression didn’t change. “Because this situation of turning into a non-human at the drop of a hat, and the reason is still unclear. Such instability, it’s better not to drag someone else down as well.”
“Yes!” Xia Rong was immediately relieved. “I also think so. In the short term, it’s best not to fall in love, otherwise it would be even more troublesome.”
He felt that Su Chi’s reason was very reasonable, that even he had been persuaded— So he naturally ignored the profoundly meaningful ‘someone else’.
Such a difficult to find cat that you can share weal and woe and advance through challenges together with, can such still be considered an outsider?