Zhu Jingru couldn’t sleep that night either.
It was because before Bai Qinglin left, he had knocked over a teacup, staining the white T-shirt Zhu Jingru was wearing. Then he’d told him to take it off, adding the detached, polite phrase, “I’ll wash it and return it to you.”
It was impossible to read any emotion on Bai Qinglin’s face. After making the suggestion, he had stood to the side and watched him undress. After a moment, he lowered his head to light a cigarette, taking a deep drag as if he were getting impatient waiting.
Zhu Jingru only noticed something was off from the bobbing of his Adam’s apple. He figured maybe his nicotine addiction was acting up, yet he felt something else was amiss.
Zhu Jingru thought for a long time but still couldn’t figure out why Bai Qinglin would take that white T-shirt. He tossed and turned in bed, his curiosity scratching at his heart. Finally, he gave up and called Bai Qinglin.
He hadn’t expected the call to go through.
But after about ten seconds of ringing, Bai Qinglin answered. For a moment, all he could hear was the faint sound of ragged, weary breathing.
“Brother Bai,” Zhu Jingru called out to him.
Bai Qinglin’s voice was very hoarse, tinged with a low raspiness he didn’t usually have, as if he had been disturbed. “Hm?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“…”
“I’m thinking about how to keep provoking you.” Zhu Jingru had spent a lot of time getting close to Bai Qinglin. Whether his methods were roundabout or direct, he always did as he pleased, including right now. “Am I allowed to think about it?”
On Bai Qinglin’s end came the soft rustling sound of a quilt being moved. “Whatever.”
“How can you be so nice…” Zhu Jingru’s voice ended on a light note. His breathing became even, and with his eyes closed, he carelessly fell asleep, letting the still-connected phone slide onto the pillow.
Bai Qinglin called Zhu Jingru’s name but got no response. All he could do was continuously suppress his agitated breathing.
He was silent for a long time before hanging up.
The next day, when the café opened, Li Wenxue asked, “Didn’t you say you were going to return the manager’s coat for him? How come you didn’t bring it?”
Yue Chuan craned his neck to look at Bai Qinglin in the kitchen doorway and lowered his voice, “He wasn’t willing. And he took another piece of clothing from him. Washed it himself first thing in the morning.”
“The old tree is finally blossoming, what a miracle,” Li Wenxue tutted. “But to be honest, aside from being a good match in looks, those two aren’t compatible in any other way. A relationship between two people with such opposite personalities won’t end well.”
Just as she finished speaking, Zhu Jingru pushed the door open. He was wearing Bai Qinglin’s scarf around his neck, his features as picturesque as a painting. His complexion was rosy and he looked exceptionally energetic. He wore a vintage brown jacket with a wild, rakish flair, sleeves rolled up to reveal the tattoo on his wrist. He was in full peacock mode, the air practically thick with hormones.
Li Wenxue was instantly captivated. Who cares about the outcome now? Yue Chuan was immediately revived, sidling up to get close. “He’s in the back. You can go find him in a bit. Chat with us first.”
“What does Teacher Yue want to chat about?”
Yue Chuan was very direct: “Did you manage to kiss him last night?”
Zhu Jingru smiled and shook his head. “No.”
Yue Chuan offered a strategy, “Next time, next time just find some woods, pin him down, and suck on his mouth, that’s the way!”
Zhu Jingru smiled. “Okay, I’ll definitely do that next time.”
In the back kitchen, Bai Qinglin was somewhat distracted. The insomnia and nicotine cravings were taking their toll, and the unprecedented feeling of losing control was unsettling. His figure was tall and his posture was proper; no matter how relaxed he was, he would never slouch. His right hand hung down slightly, the way he held his cigarette different from others.
When Zhu Jingru first started coming to the café, the sight he saw most often every day was Bai Qinglin’s back. He couldn’t help but lift a hand to stroke the soft scarf. Most people didn’t know just how possessive Bai Qinglin was. Not only would his fishing rods have his initials carved on them to mark them as his property, but even his scarf and gloves did. There was even a towel in the shop that was exclusively for him to dry his hands.
Zhu Jingru had noticed these details the very first time he went fishing with Bai Qinglin.
The cigarette was about to burn out, its agarwood scent scattered by the cold wind in the air. When Bai Qinglin turned his head, a brief look of astonishment appeared in his eyes. His voice was low and not at all polite. “Who let you in?”
Zhu Jingru particularly liked this fierce streak in Bai Qinglin. Cursing in that smoky voice was a sexy contrast. He simply moved closer. “I want to drink the coffee you make, but the window seat is taken.”
“Get out.”
Zhu Jingru didn’t speak, just looked at him with pleading eyes.
Bai Qinglin avoided Zhu Jingru’s gaze, smoke jetting from his nostrils. He explained casually, “It’s drafty with the door open.”
“I’m wearing thick clothes, I don’t feel cold.”
Bai Qinglin threw the cigarette butt into the trash can, his gaze landing lightly on Zhu Jingru’s exposed wrist. The meaning in his eyes was self-evident.
Zhu Jingru immediately and obediently pulled his sleeve down.
A while later, Zhu Jingru was sitting at the window seat. Previously, he had held the initiative, every word and action clear and controlled.
Now it was Zhu Jingru’s turn to be passive, completely unable to guess or understand why Bai Qinglin had taken the white T-shirt.
There weren’t many customers in the shop. Bai Qinglin stood at the counter, his expression focused as he wiped his glasses with a soft cloth.
Zhu Jingru, who had been watching him, had a rare impulse. He stopped sunbathing and quietly stood up.
Bai Qinglin’s hands were very white, very beautiful, with long fingers and reddish knuckles. As a connoisseur of hands, Zhu Jingru was a little mesmerized. He nonchalantly walked over. Then, he suddenly reached out his index finger and touched Bai Qinglin’s hand lightly, wiggling it like they were making a pinky promise. He said in a low voice, “Brother Bai, I’ll come find you again on New Year’s Eve. Let’s not leave until we see each other.”
Before Bai Qinglin had time to react, Zhu Jingru quickly released his hand and turned away. As the wind chime tinkled, he turned his head back, winked, and left behind a sentence in rapid English.
Tong Yin, who was wiping a table by the window, was very close. After hearing it clearly, she repeated with a blush, “Manager, ‘Tongue kiss.’ Mr. Zhu said he wants to tongue kiss you.”
