TPWNDHAYD Chapter 2

| Previous | Table of Contents | Next |

Another Night of Singing

Wu Ming posted in the channel—

   [No Name: "There's actually no pregnant woman next door, right? Silly mom Qing Kong, lying will cause a miscarriage!"]

Qing Kong had just finished singing a song. Seeing Wu Ming's message, he snorted and said, "Nonsense! There really is a pregnant woman next door! That pregnant woman's hearing isn't great!"

Wu Ming touched his slightly warm ears and scoffed. My ears are perfectly fine.

He walked to the living room, opened the fridge, and took out some sugar-marinated tomatoes.

His colleague had given him some large, bright red tomatoes today. When he got home, he decided to slice them thinly, sprinkle them with sugar, and store them in the fridge. Now, they were ready to eat.

The unmelted sugar was evenly sprinkled on the red tomatoes, their green-seeded cores seemingly about to ooze juice. Some liquid had pooled at the bottom, making them look irresistibly appetizing—sweet and sour, mouthwatering.

Wu Ming plated some and knocked on the door next door. Worried that the person inside wouldn't hear, he also pressed the doorbell.

Inside, Qing Kong heard the doorbell and paused his singing, telling his fans in the channel, "Oops, the pregnant woman next door really came knocking. I have to go deal with him."

Everyone in the chat found it hilarious.

Qing Kong opened the door with a smile. "Sorry, I hope I wasn't too—"

Wu Ming lifted the plastic container in his hand. "Hmm?"

"No…" Qing Kong stopped mid-sentence. "What's this?"

"A colleague brought some homegrown tomatoes from the countryside. I made this but can't finish it alone—it'd be a waste." Wu Ming placed the container in Qing Kong's hands.

Seeing the tempting sugar-marinated tomatoes inside, Qing Kong's eyes lit up. "Wow, thank you so much!"

"No need to thank me. You go ahead, I'll head back."

The two had a good neighborly relationship—always seeing each other around, often sharing good food with each other. Over time, they didn't even bother with formalities anymore.

Back in his room, Qing Kong opened the container, pinched a slice carefully between his fingers, and popped it into his mouth with satisfaction. Delicious! His eyes curved into a smile.

Seeing that the chat was still gossiping about the "pregnant woman next door," speculating on how they would "teach the silly mom a lesson," he unmuted his mic smugly.

"The pregnant woman next door came knocking—brought me food."

"Guess what they brought? Wow, it's so good!"

"I'm gonna take a picture and post it on Weibo to make you all jealous, hehe!"

Wu Ming listened to the boasting while eating his own share of tomatoes. Chilled ones really taste better. That guy lucked out.

"This guy eats my food and still dares to call me a pregnant woman!"

Checking Weibo, he indeed found a new post with a picture of the tomatoes—

   [Qing kong: "Haha, a gift from my neighbor. So delicious! [Picture]"]

Wu Ming replied—

   [No Name: "Showoff!"]

—

The next morning.

While waiting for the elevator, Wu Ming happened to run into Qing kong, who was also leaving for work. They stepped into the elevator together.

Qing Kong said, "Thanks for the tomatoes, they were really good."

"I still have plenty—my colleague's family grows them. Much better than store-bought ones. I'll give you more tonight."

Qing Kong rubbed his nose sheepishly. "Uh… how can I accept so much…"

"I can't finish them alone. Help me out."

The elevator reached the ground floor. Wu Ming stepped out first, leaving no room for refusal.

Outside, they nodded at each other before heading in opposite directions—

Wu Ming went left, Qing Kong went right.

They worked in completely different parts of the city, with no professional overlap, yet they lived in the same building as next-door neighbors. Must be fate, Wu Ming thought.

This is nice. I don’t ask for more.

—

Being a Weibo addict, Qing Kong posted right after they parted—

   [Qing Kong: "Wow, my good neighbor said he's bringing me more tomatoes tonight! Homegrown ones, way better than store-bought!"]

The comments flooded in—

The pregnant woman next door is so generous!

Good neighbor always brings food for silly mom!

Silly mom, you should repay them—with marriage!

…

Wu Ming usually didn't check Weibo at work, but at lunch, he happened to scroll through and smirked. "Good neighbor, huh?"

He replied—

   [No Name: "Silly mom is so blessed. [Happy face]"]

—

That night, Qing Kong was in high spirits, taking song requests from his fans. When he got tired, he simply chatted away, mostly just talking while fans typed responses.

Like how a stray cat had wandered into his office today—a gray one, super clingy, just not to him.

Like how his cactus was about to bloom—still just a bud, but he'd take pictures for everyone in a few days.

Like how his neighbor had promised him more tomatoes—just thinking about it made his mouth water.

Wu Ming chuckled, picked up the prepared tomatoes, knocked on the door, and handed them over. "Here, help me finish these."

Qing Kong took the bag, turned around to grab a box of chocolates and yesterday’s empty container, and shoved them into Wu Ming’s hands. "Don't refuse—my company gave them out. I can’t finish them either."

Wu Ming accepted the items, thanked him, and went back home.

As soon as he put on his headphones, he heard Qing Kong in the voice chat:

"My neighbor is so mysterious. Every time I mention him, he shows up. Hehe, he just brought me a whole bag of tomatoes."

Fans flooded the chat—

"You should marry him!"

Qing Kong laughed. "No way, he's a pregnant woman!"

The channel erupted in laughter—silly mom was spouting nonsense again!

Wu Ming scoffed inwardly.

Qing Kong continued, "Guess what I gave him in return? Gotta reciprocate gifts, right? I gave him a box of chocolates—my favorite brand. Pregnant women can eat chocolate, right?"

Wu Ming opened the box, unwrapped a piece, and popped it into his mouth.

"Mmm," he muttered, voice muffled, "Yeah, they can eat it."

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you☘️☘️☘️