Wen He had never been this close to anyone before... except his deskmate in high school. He remembered being like this around him back then, too.
Maybe it was because he was too close.
Watching him turn and leave, Ji Chi's eyes held a smile. In a very good mood, he reached out to stroke the sapphire glittering in the air.
He inhaled sharply, drawing every last trace of the lingering fragrance into his nose.
There was indeed a smell of food... but it was faint. Most of it was still the scent of Wen He himself.
Actually, Ji Chi had wanted to ask him yesterday what brand of perfume he wore.
It was faint and smelled lovely. He liked it very much.
[Aaaaaah!!!]
[They held hands! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!]
[Calm down, fam. Calm down. Let me go to the moon and retrieve the corners of my mouth first.]
[They're so shippable!!!! I love them!! Damn it!!!]
[I never expected these two to make the fastest progress!]
[Damn it, I've found the downside of livestreams: there's no BGM!]
[They'd be even more shippable with BGM!]
[I've got one. Few people know which way to go~ oh~]
[That one doesn't fit!]
[My turn! Thump-thump... thump-thump... thump-thump... thump-thump~ can you see my heat?]
[Aaaaaah! At 17:48 in the afternoon, I knew for sure I liked Wen He~~~]
[No, no, it should be: at 17:48 in the afternoon, I knew for sure I liked Ji Chi~~!!]
Once Wen He left, Ji Chi didn't feel like eating alone either, so he sat downstairs playing games while waiting for him to finish his shower and come back.
Wen He sat on the bed, drying his damp hair with a towel. The blush at the tips of his ears had already been washed away by the water.
He was torn about whether to go downstairs for dinner... but he was hungry, yet...
For some reason, he didn't really want to see that jerk right now.
Grrr~
That was the second time... the doctor had said he couldn't go hungry.
Wen He had already been upstairs for almost twenty minutes.
Ji Chi should have finished eating and gone back to his room by now.
But the food was probably getting cold, too. That was fine. Food that was just a little cold was still okay to eat. The doctor had said so.
Tap, tap. The sound of Wen He slowly dawdling downstairs drew Ji Chi's gaze.
"Hey, I thought you'd fallen into the bathtub."
Wen He's fingertips scraped at the wall. He hadn't expected Ji Chi to still be downstairs.
And the food he'd made hadn't been touched. His eyes shifted slightly as he asked, "No... why haven't you eaten?"
Ji Chi muted his game, stood up, and headed for the kitchen.
"Our chef hasn't eaten yet. How could this humble servant dare pick up his chopsticks?"
"Oh..."
Wen He approached the dining table. The egg drop soup and cumin potatoes with ham were still steaming, and Ji Chi came over carrying two bowls of rice.
"Why is it still hot?"
"I reheated it in the microwave once. Let's eat."
Ji Chi pushed the extra bowl of rice in front of Wen He.
Looking at the heaping mound of white rice, Wen He felt a little troubled.
He couldn't possibly finish it all. For a moment, he didn't know where to put his chopstick-holding hand.
Never mind... he'd eat as much as he could.
Wen He didn't like talking while eating, and neither did Ji Chi.
[Looking at it this way, Demon Dragon does have a conscience.]
[I thought Demon Dragon would finish all the food and then play games.]
[He does have some basic manners. Back at the café, he didn't eat first either. He waited until Xiao Yu arrived.]
[True... all I can say is, his attitude toward people... uh...]
[Uh... if you know, you know.]
[Depends on the person, I guess. Yeah... that's it. Let's spam 99+ first.]
Neither spoke over dinner, and the two finished their meal in silence.
Wen He stared at his half-full bowl of rice, picking through it. He picked up a single grain, then put it back.
He couldn't finish it... but wasting food was bad.
"Full?"
Wen He hesitated, but still nodded.
Seeing his dilemma, Ji Chi reached over with his large hand, tipped the rice left in Wen He's bowl into the bowl of leftover food, then stood up.
"I'll give it to Big Yellow in the backyard. That way, it won't be wasted."
There was a Big Yellow in the backyard?
Noticing the confusion in his eyes, Ji Chi explained, "There's a big Shiba Inu kept in the back garden. Want to come?"
At the mention of a dog, Wen He's dull eyes brightened a little. He nodded and silently followed Ji Chi.
He liked dogs. Once upon a time, Wen He had wanted to keep a dog at home too, because a dog could keep him company so he wouldn't be left moldering at home alone every day.
But he couldn't afford one. When commissions were scarce, he could barely support himself, much less a dog.
Looking at it this way, joining this dating show was pretty nice.
He could keep a dog... get paid, and eat delicious food he'd never had before. The only downside might be Ji Chi harassing him every day...
But occasionally, Ji Chi helped him, too.
So when he saw that chubby little Shiba Inu, Wen He decided not to dislike him for now.
Big Yellow was very perceptive. He was kept in a little kennel in the backyard. Wen He hadn't come out to explore the house before, so he hadn't known there was a dog here.
Big Yellow was very friendly. The moment Wen He held out a finger, he rubbed his furry head against his palm.
Wen He smiled and withdrew his hand. It tickled...
He looked much livelier all over.
Ji Chi braced his hands on his knees and looked down at Wen He, whose eyes curved with his smile.
"You like dogs?"
"Yeah. They're cute."
He really was cute...
Even cuter smiling than when he was spacing out.
"Play a little longer if you like him. Wash your hands when we get back."
Ji Chi straightened and took two steps back, leaving the space to Wen He and Big Yellow.
Young Master Ji was in a good mood today and, for once, wasn't teasing anyone.
Wen He was in a good mood too. He'd eaten something delicious and got to play with a dog.
[You're all having fun, but has anyone noticed my Xiao Yu admiring the sea all alone?]
[I watched Xiao Yu's stream. It's lovely. Sitting by the sea alone, watching the sunset and feeling the sea breeze~ and enjoying his favorite food, too.]
[I'd much rather see Xiao Yu enjoying the scenery alone than suffering with Demon Dragon.]
[I agree!]
[Just lock Demon Dragon together with male contestant one. Demon Dragon's double standards are ridiculous.]
[Haha, you don't seriously think he likes male contestant one, do you?]
[Don't start with the conspiracy theories.]
[Actually, I think so too. Sure, he has double standards, but no matter how I look at it, he's just teasing male contestant one. It's only because male contestant one is too dumb to catch on. Otherwise, why wouldn't he hang out with anyone else? It's because he knows male contestant one is slow to react and easy to bully. Everyone else is sharp.]
Ji Chi unhurriedly reported that bullet comment.
Ah... he admitted he was interested precisely because Wen He seemed rather slow and dazed, but he couldn't tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes.
Off you go~
He turned off the screen and said to Wen He, "Let's go. It's dark. Come play again tomorrow."
Wen He looked at the sky, which was gradually turning completely dark, and reluctantly patted Big Yellow's head. Then he stood and followed Ji Chi away, looking back every few steps.