The living room lights were on, but at first glance, no one was there. The two-bedroom apartment was exquisitely furnished with all the necessary amenities, yet it lacked personal touches. Apart from the coat draped over the sofa backrest—the one he had worn during the day—there weren’t any obvious personal belongings. This was one of those high-end rental properties with premium renovations, and the current tenant hadn’t invested much thought into this place meant primarily for sleeping.
Xun Xun stood awkwardly in the living room, calling Chi Cheng’s name several times, but received no response. After careful consideration, she approached the bedroom but found no one even on the bed. Every door within sight was open, and all lights were on. Xun Xun’s first thought was whether something had happened or if there had been a break-in. Her heart tightened with worry. As she walked back to the living room, she accidentally bumped into a cardboard box beside the sofa. While straightening it, she discovered it was filled to the brim with instant noodles—various brands, both familiar and unfamiliar to her, in all sorts of flavors.
Why would he stock up on so many instant noodles? This box contained enough to last him well past Spring Festival.
The mention of the “Spring Festival” gave Xun Xun a vague hint of understanding. This person, who had claimed to others that he had numerous places to go and could fly anywhere in the world during the Spring Festival holiday if he wished, had prepared to spend the New Year alone in this apartment surviving on instant noodles.
Following the hallway, she heard two male voices coming from the bathroom at the end. Xun Xun was startled and almost fled, but concern kept her there. She called his name several more times, still receiving no response.
The bathroom door was slightly ajar. Not knowing who was talking inside, she gathered her courage and pushed the door completely open, revealing the entire space. There weren’t several male intruders as she had imagined; instead, she saw someone lying in the bathtub—who else but Chi Cheng? A twenty-two-inch television hung on the wall facing him, broadcasting local social news.
Xun Xun didn’t know whether to feel relieved, as Chi Cheng still showed no response. He had drunk quite a bit at the annual party, and she worried he might have passed out. Fearing something might have happened, she hurried forward to check on him, finding him with eyes tightly closed but breathing steadily.
“Hey, wake up.” Xun Xun shook his shoulder that was exposed above the water, and when that didn’t work, she patted his face with more force.
Finally, the person in the bathtub slowly opened his eyes, looking at the television in front, then at his surroundings, and finally at the person beside him. He showed no immediate reaction, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation.
“Are you back to your senses yet? The water’s completely cold—are you alright?” Xun Xun couldn’t help but worry about his condition.
“What would be wrong with me? Zhao Xun Xun?”
His unexpectedly calm and wooden response was still something Xun Xun couldn’t get used to, but at least he recognized her, though confusion remained.
“What are you doing here?”
This was a difficult question to answer. Xun Xun’s mouth went dry with nervousness, but since she was already here, she decided to go straight to the point.
“Chi Cheng, you said you… you love me, so I’m asking you now: do those words still count? Are you willing to accept me… and my cat?”
Chi Cheng’s gaze lingered on her face for quite a while, his scattered focus finally regaining clarity, though his expression remained unpredictable. During this time, Xun Xun’s heart was pounding like thunder—she had never been so nervous in her life. While carefully observing his reaction, he suddenly raised his hand and splashed water onto her face.
Caught off guard, Xun Xun wiped her face in confusion and annoyance, tasting the bath gel from the bathwater. “Are you crazy? What are you doing?”
Chi Cheng ignored her and muttered to himself, “…I understand now.”
“What do you understand? Did the bath make you lose your mind?” Seeing his expression becoming more normal, Xun Xun felt increasingly uncertain. Her appearance here was already a crazy accident—nothing was ever reliable when it came to Chi Cheng. Just taking tonight’s events, after she had gone so far, why couldn’t he react like a normal person by either being shocked at her presence in the living room, embracing her, or throwing her out?
“You still haven’t answered me!” She was nearly furious with embarrassment.
“Repeat your question.” Chi Cheng’s expression was peculiar.
Some things can only be said once; repeating them just makes them increasingly awkward. Xun Xun stammered, “I asked if you’re willing to take in my cat!”
He slowly stroked his chin. “Well… it depends!”
With his habitual gesture and bargaining attitude returning, it seemed the Chi Cheng she knew had fully recovered his spirits, making Xun Xun feel even more uncomfortable.
“What do you mean?”
Chi Cheng glanced at her and pointed toward the bathroom cabinet, saying, “It means you should get me a bath towel first.”
What did this have to do with the old cat? Xun Xun’s mind had crashed, and she asked blankly, “Why?”
He paused for a moment, then said with great patience, word by word: “Because, even for someone like me, this situation is embarrassing!”
After hearing Chi Cheng’s words, Xun Xun’s eyes unconsciously peered into the bathtub.
“Hey! This is outrageous—I just told you, and you deliberately look!” Chi Cheng wore an exasperated expression. Even though it had been a bubble bath, after his nap, the bubbles had mostly dissolved, leaving everything visible underwater. Even someone as uninhibited as him couldn’t help feeling embarrassed, unconsciously shifting his position.
“Oh!” Xun Xun seemed to finally understand his meaning completely, jumping up in horror and backing away several steps. She couldn’t believe that the person who had been crouching beside the bathtub trying to sell herself to a naked bathing man was her—she must have been possessed by something like a silly goose.
She went to find him a towel with a tomato-red face, not forgetting to explain with a stammering tongue: “Well… you see, you hadn’t closed the door, and I was worried you might have been robbed…”
“I’m more worried about being robbed by you!” Chi Cheng grabbed the towel she handed over with her back turned. “Zhao Xun Xun, I never knew you could be so bold. Would it kill you to hand over the towel properly? You’ve seen plenty already, why pretend?”
“I didn’t see anything,” Xun Xun, who had turned to face the wall in sudden repentance, quickly said.
Chi Cheng immediately became displeased at hearing this clumsy lie. “Who are you trying to fool? Not seeing anything in that situation? Unless you’re blind. Don’t act coy after taking advantage!”
Xun Xun could only follow his lead and show her honesty. “I, I only saw a little bit…”
“Who’s little? What do you mean by that!”
His voice raised several decibels, leaving Xun Xun completely confused, unsure whether he wanted her to say she had seen or hadn’t seen. She couldn’t win either way and was almost ready to cry. “I did see, but not very clearly… I mean, I didn’t intend to look at you… Fine, I’m sorry, okay?”
Just as she was contemplating fleeing with her old cat, Chi Cheng finally abandoned that embarrassing topic.
“By the way, what did you mean earlier about me taking in your cat?”
“My home situation is a bit difficult right now. Could you help me look after this cat for a while? It won’t be long, a month at most.” After his antics, Xun Xun no longer dared mention herself. Any thoughts she had earlier had retreated into their shell. She must have been blinded by foolishness to think being with him wouldn’t be bad. Little did she know that with his difficult nature, she would likely end up disabled if she stayed by his side for any length of time.
Chi Cheng responded indifferently, “A cat? I’ve never kept pets.”
“Oh, that’s fine, I was just asking.” Xun Xun quickly responded. From childhood, rejection was what she was most familiar with.
Chi Cheng seemed to laugh behind her. “You’re still trying to act tough in front of me? Running to my bathtub in the middle of the night just to casually ask if I could keep a cat for you? If you want to negotiate, you should show some sincerity.”
“What exactly do you want? Just give me a straight answer.” Xun Xun turned back helplessly to look at him once.
The person who had just been so concerned about being seen naked was now casually sitting on the edge of the bathtub, leisurely drying his dripping hair with the towel. Xun Xun quickly turned away again. How did she keep encountering such people today?
“You give me a task, shouldn’t you clarify the terms first?”
“…”
“Let me be clearer. I don’t like potatoes, but if they come with braised pork… I can accept that!”
After all that circling, he finally revealed his true nature—ultimately, he just wanted Xun Xun to give a clear attitude again!
Xun Xun gave herself a final ten seconds to consider.