ATLT Chapter 6

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(16)

The two of them lay side by side on the bed, catching their breath under the cover of the last half of the song.

When the song ended, Zhang Linghao reached for a pack of cigarettes, lit one, took two puffs, and handed it to Chu Yi. Chu Yi shook his head. "Lack of oxygen."

Zhang Linghao chuckled, got out of bed, and, despite his sweat-drenched body, put on his clothes and opened the bedroom window to let the night air in.

Chu Yi asked him in a low voice, "How late will Lingrui be doing his homework?"

With a cigarette in his mouth, Zhang Linghao held up ten fingers.

Chu Yi glanced at the clock—it was only 8:30.

After thinking for a moment, he got out of bed as well, dressed, tidied his hair using his phone’s screen as a mirror, and told Zhang Linghao, "I'm leaving."

Zhang Linghao leaned against the window, smoking, flicked the ash outside, and nodded at Chu Yi.

At the doorway, Chu Yi turned back. "I'll take you to buy shrimp another day."

Zhang Linghao smiled, nodded again, and blew a puff of smoke toward him from afar.

He didn't say anything, but Chu Yi could somehow hear his voice in his head: Got it, now go already.

Chu Yi opened the door, slipped out, and, feeling guilty, carefully closed it behind him. He glanced at Zhang Lingrui, who was doing homework at the dining table, then tiptoed to the entryway, changed his shoes, grabbed the door handle, and only then called out, "I'm heading out!"

Then, without waiting to see if the two brothers heard or responded, he turned and strode away.

(17)

"Another day" turned out to be the very next day. At least, that’s how Zhang Linghao interpreted it.

The following morning, after Zhang Lingrui left for school, Zhang Linghao stripped the sweat-soaked bedsheets from the night before and tossed them into the washing machine. Then, he sent a WeChat message to Chu Yi:

"Do you know how to change bedsheets?"

And so, Chu Yi ended up providing free housekeeping services again.

He helped Zhang Linghao put on fresh sheets, hung up the washed ones to dry, noticed the cigarette ash on the floor, and went ahead and mopped. Then, seeing how dusty the bedroom fan was, he wiped it down, plugged it in, and tested it—it still worked.

The weather was warm, and after just a little bit of effort, he was feeling hot. So he turned on the fan, sat on the edge of the bed, and spaced out.

Meanwhile, Zhang Linghao had been lounging on the bed ever since the sheets were changed, playing a game of Candy Crush with utter focus.

Chu Yi stared at him for a while before suddenly asking, "Wait, didn’t you study abroad? You never changed your own bedsheets back then?"

Zhang Linghao looked up and grinned. "Oh yeah, I did. I totally forgot." His admission was completely shameless. Then he went right back to his game.

Chu Yi laughed in disbelief. "So you know how to do it, and you still called me over?"

Eyes fixed on his phone, Zhang Linghao replied, "I just asked if you knew how to change bedsheets. I never actually asked you to do it. You came on your own. I thought maybe you enjoyed housework, so I let you have the chance."

Chu Yi rolled his eyes. "Who the hell enjoys doing housework?"

Zhang Linghao cleared another level and finally put his phone down, smiling as he looked up at Chu Yi. "The fresh bedsheets smell amazing. Want to come sniff them?"

Chu Yi frowned, about to say it wasn’t even noon yet. But before he could speak, his body moved on its own—he flipped onto the bed and leaned in toward Zhang Linghao.

(18)

Who knew if the bedsheets actually smelled good? What was certain was that this person smelled amazing. He had definitely sprayed some perfume on his neck. Chu Yi loved the way the perfume’s base notes blended with Zhang Linghao’s sweat, so much so that he kept sniffing and sniffing even after the deed was done, holding onto him like an oversized puppy.

Zhang Linghao was tickled by his nose against his neck and couldn't take it anymore. He pushed him away. "Are you a dog or something?"

Chu Yi huffed. "If I'm a dog, then what are you?"

Never one to miss an opportunity to gain the upper hand, Zhang Linghao smirked and shot back instantly, "I'm the dog owner! Hahaha!"

The moment he said it, he noticed that Chu Yi wasn’t laughing or even annoyed—he actually looked quite serious. That made Zhang Linghao suddenly feel a little embarrassed. What even are we? We've only slept together twice, and now I’m acting like I own him?

And on top of that, I’m the one on the bottom.

Feeling awkward, he instinctively reached for the cigarette pack on the nightstand.

Chu Yi grabbed his restless hand and pulled him back into his arms. "I think you’re a cat."

Zhang Linghao quickly realized that Chu Yi had been seriously contemplating what kind of animal he resembled this whole time—he probably hadn’t even heard his shameless remark earlier.

Thank God.

Relieved, Zhang Linghao exhaled and smiled at him. "Cats are great. Elegant and noble."

Chu Yi looked at his ears—this so-called "noble young master" was clearly down on his luck yet still wore a pair of delicate Tiffany earrings. He always dressed in light-colored clothes and silver jewelry, with bright black eyes and soft chestnut hair.

Yeah, he did look like an elegant, noble cat.

Leaning in, Chu Yi kissed the cat’s earlobe. "Come on, let’s go buy you some shrimp."

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