Big Brother, Have a Taste

Shi Junyi slapped Jiang Qiao's hand away and stuck his right foot out from beneath the covers, planting it against his chest. "Jiang Qiao, what exactly is going through that head of yours?"

Jiang Qiao grasped Shi Junyi's ankle, his peach-blossom eyes curving into a beautiful, enticing smile. "If I say it, Big Brother will get mad at me again."

[I want to strip you naked and pin you down on the sofa.]

Shi Junyi put force into his foot and kicked Jiang Qiao to the floor. "Let go."

Jiang Qiao smiled as he tucked Shi Junyi's foot back under the covers. Rising to his feet, he scooped Shi Junyi up, blankets and all, and carried him horizontally to the bed in the bedroom.

Before Shi Junyi could make a move to beat him up, Jiang Qiao retreated to what he considered a relatively safe distance.

"Go back to sleep, Big Brother. I'll be outside. Call me if you need anything."

Without waiting for Shi Junyi's response, he turned and strode out of the room, remembering to close the door behind him.

Jiang Qiao sighed. As expected of the person he had set his sights on—bad-tempered and aloof, always threatening to kill him. He was truly difficult to handle.

After changing clothes, he grabbed a handful of cash from the entryway drawer and stuffed it into his pocket. Just as he was about to head out, he lowered his head and saw a pair of spotless white sneakers.

Thinking back, Jiang Qiao remembered that when he had pushed Fu Zhilan out the door last night, he seemed to have been barefoot.

He had no idea how Fu Zhilan had gotten back to school.

Jiang Qiao returned to the kitchen, found a pair of disposable food-service gloves in the drawer beneath the cabinet, and put them on. He then picked up the white sneakers along with the slippers Fu Zhilan had worn yesterday.

And threw them into the trash bin outside.

He did not dare go far. He only went to the convenience store across the street and bought a small bag of vacuum-packed rice, a small box of fresh vegetables wrapped in plastic, and a serving of freshly cut fruit.

At the register, he thought for a moment, then grabbed a bottle of brandy from the shelf beside him.

The convenience store clerk winked at Jiang Qiao. "You haven't been here in a while. Have you been busy lately?"

Jiang Qiao gave a soft ah. "Yeah, I found an internship."

The clerk smiled. "That little boyfriend of yours came to buy something really late last night."

"Hey, you've got it wrong, pretty girl. He's not my boyfriend, so don't go spreading nonsense." Jiang Qiao refused to let himself be associated with Fu Zhilan in front of anyone.

The clerk teased, "Didn't you say you were pursuing him before? What, you didn't get him?"

Jiang Qiao fell silent. Another day of wanting to slap the original owner across the face.

He waved a hand. "I was joking, don't take it seriously. We're just classmates. He's not my type."

The clerk gave an oh, then propped her chin on her hand and looked at Jiang Qiao. "Then what is your type? Would someone like me work?"

Jiang Qiao shook his head. "Not really. I like them taller, prouder, good at putting on airs, with a bad temper—moody and always threatening people."

The clerk laughed as she totaled the bill. "Seventy-six yuan. Stop messing with me. Who would like someone like that?"

Jiang Qiao smiled but said nothing more. He handed her two fifty-yuan bills. "Keep the change. It's a tip."

Then he gathered his things and left the convenience store.

After getting home, Jiang Qiao washed his hands, searched the electronic recipe board hanging on the wall for a vegetable congee tutorial, and carefully followed the steps, adding the rice, vegetables, and water to the rice cooker before pressing the porridge button.

Then he quietly pushed open the bedroom door. Seeing that Shi Junyi was already asleep, he gently closed it again and returned to the living room.

By the time Shi Junyi woke up, it was already dark outside.

He lifted the slightly cool towel from his forehead, sat up halfway, turned on the bedside lamp, and took a moment to clear his head.

Other than feeling somewhat weak, he had no other discomfort. His fever had probably gone down.

Shi Junyi got out of bed, pushed open the bedroom door, and entered the living room, where he saw Jiang Qiao in the kitchen, wearing an apron and ladling porridge into a bowl.

Shi Junyi did not move. He stood where he was and silently watched the scene from behind.

Ever since Shi Junyi's birth mother had passed away, he had never again seen anyone busying themselves in a kitchen.

The kitchen beside the Shi family's living room had become little more than decoration. The chefs prepared every dish in a separate dedicated kitchen before bringing it out.

Jiang Qiao seemed to sense his presence. With one hand holding the bowl and the other pressing down the pot lid, he turned around.

He slid open the kitchen door, walked out, set the bowl of porridge on the dining table, and raised a hand to feel Shi Junyi's forehead.

"Your fever's gone."

Shi Junyi gave a quiet hum and pulled out a chair at the table.

Jiang Qiao stirred the porridge with a spoon, blew on it a few times, and pushed it in front of Shi Junyi. "It simmered for a long time. Have a taste, Big Brother. Careful, it's hot."

Shi Junyi lowered his head and sniffed it. The faint fragrance of rice was especially tempting to someone who had not eaten all day.

He lifted his chin and asked, "Is it poisoned?"

Jiang Qiao looked at Shi Junyi, lowered his gaze, stood up, and took the bowl of porridge. "Then don't eat it. Get yourself together. I'll take you back later."

After saying that, he headed toward the bathroom as if intending to pour the porridge away.

Shi Junyi had not expected Jiang Qiao to suddenly lose his temper. He raised a brow. "What are you throwing a fit for?"

Jiang Qiao ignored him and continued toward the bathroom.

"Stop." Shi Junyi ordered.

As a qualified bodyguard, obeying his employer's orders was basic professional ethics.

Jiang Qiao stopped.

Shi Junyi said, "Bring it over."

With his back to Shi Junyi, Jiang Qiao's lips curled up. But when he turned around and placed the bowl before Shi Junyi again, the smile was gone. He merely kept his eyes lowered and said nothing.

Regardless of whether Shi Junyi drank the porridge or not, Jiang Qiao went straight to the kitchen, washed the used utensils and put each one away, then went upstairs alone.

Throughout the entire process, he did not look at Shi Junyi even once.

Upstairs, Jiang Qiao took down the bedsheets and mattress pad he had soaked in water yesterday and hung them out to dry on the open-air balcony in the attic.

Then, enjoying the cool, comfortable evening breeze, he sat in a wicker chair on the balcony, poured himself a glass of brandy, and lit a cigarette.

Jiang Qiao had changed into a black shirt, its collar slightly open to reveal his delicate collarbones.

His long legs were crossed as he lounged against the chair back, holding a wineglass in one hand and a cigarette in the other. The faintly red ember flickered between his fingers.

Like a noble creature of another race, born of the night and raised by it, most skilled at bewitching hearts.

Shi Junyi stood outside the glass door for a long time. Before Jiang Qiao could stub out his cigarette and turn around, he left the second floor.

When Jiang Qiao came downstairs after finishing his drink, he found Shi Junyi still in his pajamas, sitting in the living room with his phone, texting and making calls without the slightest sign of being in a hurry to leave.

Shi Junyi did not mention returning to the Shi family residence, and Jiang Qiao no longer took the initiative to ask.

He found a projector in one of the rooms on the second floor. After fiddling with it for a long time, he found a movie he had wanted to watch before but had never had the chance to, turned off the lights, and secretly watched it alone.