Zhong Ruiyuan looked at him with a smile, “Do you still remember Ning Xiao? Oh, by the way, I heard your older brother say that you and Gu Bai are quite close. But he has someone he likes, why would he suddenly get close to you? What is your relationship now? Are you going to start something with him?”
Qi Le was silent as he tried to figure out an extraordinary possibility. He asked tentatively, “Do you like gossiping very much?”
Zhong Ruiyuan shook his head, “No, I'm just asking casually.”
It seems that he was mistaken… Qi Le simply answered a few words and continued to observe him. But even until Ye Shuichuan got up, he still couldn't see what was wrong with his brother-in-law. He felt that he couldn’t come to a conclusion so early, so he decided to watch from the sidelines.
Ye Shuichuan yawned lazily and went to the bathroom to wash up. Then, he made out with his man while the latter held him in his arms. “There's hot breakfast in the pot. I'll bring you some.”
“Okay.”
Qi Le silently watched the two of them warmly eat together. After breakfast, the man exchanged a kiss with his older brother. Then, he changed and got ready to leave. Qi Le and Ye Shuichuan sent him downstairs together. They waited while he opened the car door and took out the gifts he bought on his business trip. There were names written on them, including Shen Shu’s and Baby Face's. After asking them to help him pass them their gifts, the man finally headed to work.
Qi Le stood there, watching him drive off. Then, he looked at the pile of gifts, wondering in his heart if there was anything wrong with them. He quickly opened his own and found that everything was rather normal – it was a wallet and some local souvenirs. The gift bag was also filled with local specialties. He was stunned and had only one thought in his heart. His brother-in-law was obviously a normal person. But what did Shen Shu mean by you “don't exactly know what to say?" He pondered for some time and thought that Shen Shu must be the one that wasn't normal. That must be why he said that his brother-in-law wasn't normal.
He only felt tears in his eyes. There was finally someone normal around him. He looked at Ye Shuichuan excitedly, “Gē, the wisest decision you've ever made in your life is to be with him. You won’t change boyfriends anymore, will you?”
Ye Shuichuan opened his gift, his face filled with sweetness. “Right now, I don't have such plans."
“Don’t change anymore. He's the one then,” said Qi Le. He curiously asked, “How do you know each other?”
“When I was drugged, it was him I bumped into,” Ye Shuichuan smiled. “I didn’t know until later.”
Qi Le really felt that it was rather incredible. Was this what they called fate? Then what about him and Gu Bai? He sighed in his heart, thinking that he could give it a try.
But on second thought, he recalled his dreams and couldn't help but shiver.
Ye Shuichuan looked at him strangely, “……Xiaoyuan?”
Qi Le came back to his senses, “It's nothing, I'm fine…” He thought about it and told himself that he could take it easy first. If he really couldn’t, then he would think of something else. He stayed at home, chatting with Ye Shuichuan for some time before he went to work again in the evening. He didn't forget to bring the gifts with him. Shen Shu was surprised to see them, “He's back?”
Ye Shuichuan nodded, “He came back last night.”
Shen Shu sat at the bar, posturing himself seductively while he opened his gifts. Qi Le waited for a long time before he finally leaned over and whispered, “I think he's a good guy.”
“He's always been good.”
Qi Le reminded him, “But yesterday you said that you didn't know what to say about him…”
“Oh, I guess so.”
Qi Le looked puzzled, “What does that mean?”
Shen Shu happily looked at his gifts and replied casually, “I mean he's nice."
“…” Qi Le suddenly remembered a phrase: If you're serious, you lose.
As usual, Baby Face held a mirror to practice. He would occasionally glance at the door with a deadpan expression on his face. Qi Le looked at Tranny and Baby Face. He sat down, not saying a word and comforted himself silently. It didn't matter. After earning enough to support himself, he could switch jobs and stay away from these two.
The clear ring of an incoming call sounded. When he took out his cellphone, he found that it was Gu Bai. He picked up the call, “Feed the cat?”
“No, I would like to discuss something with you.” Gu Bai said flatly. He had thought about it and decided that he didn’t want Xiao Le scared by the people in the circle. He wanted him to slowly get more used to it. So the best way was to be able to see him whenever he wanted and apply the right countermeasures by observing his state of mind. However, he didn't have a specific or good reason right now, unless the cat was sent to him. Then, he could go to his apartment any time in the name of looking for the cat.
Qi Le was surprised, “What is it?”
Gu Bai stroked a certain kitty. After last night’s observation, he knew that if it didn’t eat enough, it would become irritable, so he gave him a little more food today. In order to prevent its food from being taken away in the middle of dinner, the Scottish fold cat quickly rushed to finish eating and successfully emptied its bowl. Right now, it was lazily lying in its nest, behaving particularly obedient. Gu Bai stroked the cat contentedly, “The cat is weak again. It seems to prefer being with you. I would like to keep it with you for a period of time. I'll take it back when its condition improves, is that okay?”
Qi Le didn't even think twice before he readily agreed, “Okay.”
Gu Bai’s lips curved into a smile but his voice sounded impassive, “Thank you then. I’ll pack up its things and send it to you.”
“Not now,” Qi Le said. “Come after 8. I have to work right now.”
“…Work?” Gu Bai frowned at once. He had been taking care of Xiao Le all these years. He wasn't even willing to let him wash the dishes. But now he was working? He kept quiet for awhile before he asked, “Where are you working at?”
“The bar.”
Gu Bai suddenly remembered Zheng Xiaoyuan’s job and his frown deepened. “…What kind of work?” He remembered that Xiao Le couldn't sing. Was he able to sing because he had switched bodies?
“Playing the piano.” Qi Le patiently explained, “From 6:30 to 8. I used to sing… Eh, don’t you know that?”
“I remember that you're quite well to do.” Gu Bai casually replied and asked tentatively, “Are you working to kill time now?”
“That's in the past, alright?” Qi Le said sadly. “I was told that I fell out with my family after I came out of the closet a while back. Now that I'm alone, of course I have to earn some living expenses.”
Gu Bai wanted very much to say that he would pay him for taking care of the cat. However, it would be too suspicious, so he had to hold himself back. He rubbed his forehead and began to think whether he had made the right decision not making things clear with him.
“You can come to the bar after 8. Or… I could call you when my older brother leaves work. Then you can send it directly to the apartment. How about that?”
Gu Bai softly said, “I’ll go to the bar. Mmm, let's do that.” He hung up, rubbed the cat, and thought that he would wait a while more. If he really couldn’t wait anymore, he would just clear things up with him and carry him home.
Qi Le glanced at his watch and found that it was almost time for him to start work. He was about to go up on stage when he heard Baby Face nervously cry out, “Gē, Xiao is here.”
A bunch of people at the bar heard him and turned to look in Ning Xiao's direction. Qi Le also couldn’t help turning around and saw Ning Xiao as expected.