In the end, I didn’t get to eat anything—I could only smell the aroma of noodles as Lu Xiu ate.
After we got home, I sprawled on the sofa, mouth slightly open, as if I were eating air.
Lu Xiu was sitting on the floor looking at his phone. Today, instead of those chattering canned laughter sounds, his phone was playing even stranger music.
“Hakimi… Hakimi…”
I couldn’t help but glance over. “What is Hakimi?”
“It means honey.”
“Oh.”
I paused for a moment. “Then what’s honey?”
“It’s Hakimi.”
“Are you messing with me?”
“Aha, you caught me.” Lu Xiu’s tone annoyed me so much that I wanted to leap up and punch him.
But I didn’t have the strength.
I was starving.
“Hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry—”
“Hakimi oh that cup of Ludo~”
“Hungry hungry hungry hungry—”
“Ashi ga haya ru… oh oh oh~ Mambo~”
My voice was drowned out by the volume he kept raising, and soon the whole living room echoed with that endless “Hakimi”.
It was making my head spin.
“Shut up, Lu Xiu!”
I announced my anger very seriously.
“Xue Bao, shut up!”
His phone immediately echoed back with a silly voice.
“I’m calling you, Seaweed Ball!”
Seeing that he still ignored me, I got so mad that I jumped off the sofa and ran straight to the bedroom.
I can’t win against you, but I can sure avoid you.
“If I catch you rolling on my bed, you’ll only get to smell breakfast tomorrow, too.”
My footsteps paused, and I clenched my fists. “Got it…”
Stupid jerk.
I dove into my room, closed the door, and returned to my little nest, curling up.
Bored, I started nibbling on my fingers.
“I’m still so hungry.”
I muttered to myself.
Thinking for a moment, I sat up from my bean bag chair, barefoot on the floor, planning to search my room for something to eat.
Since Lu Xiu always has snacks in his pockets, there should be some in the room, too.
After all, I like to stash things I like under my little nest—like bottle caps I find, and a few flying giant cockroaches—they’re all under my bean bag chair.
Because this is my nest.
So, going by Lu Xiu’s logic, he should have hidden something too.
Heh heh.
I wonder what delicious things he hid…
But after searching around, all I found were hard-to-chew books and some rock-hard junk. I took a bite of one and put it back.
Could I be wrong?
Impossible!
I can’t be wrong!
And if anyone’s wrong, it’s Lu Xiu!
My gaze once again landed on his bed, which he’d strictly forbidden me from touching.
Then it dropped lower, and I spotted the space under the bed.
“Mm… Maybe Lu Xiu is like me, and likes to hide things under his nest too.”
I nodded, then got down on the floor and reached under the bed.
I wouldn’t have found anything if I didn’t try, but the moment I reached in, I really did touch something.
Excited, I grabbed it and pulled it out.
“Eh… What’s this?”
It was a pink box, with a muscular man striking a pose on the front, surrounded by some hearts and words I couldn’t understand.
There was still a layer of wrapping paper, so it looked unused.
I stood up, ran over to my bean bag chair, and dug out a little block with teeth marks on the edge.
Lu Xiu gave it to me to help me learn words, but after I bit it and got zapped, I stopped using it.
I scanned the words on the box, and the half-broken machine let out a distorted electronic sound: “Tie Xue Ying Han—Men’s Romance.”
What the heck is that.
I didn’t understand.
All I cared about was if I could eat it.
I tore open the packaging and pulled out what was inside. My eyes went wide.
In front of me was a lump of soft, pink stuff—it felt great in my hand.
And it smelled sweet, too.
“Sluuurp…”
Let’s take a bite and see.
“Awu—”
Chomp chomp chomp
So soft and bouncy, delicious!
I ate bite after bite, and quickly finished off the whole thing.
Heh heh.
Click
Just then, the door opened. Lu Xiu came in, still damp as if he’d just showered, looking exhausted.
But when he saw me sitting by the bed, his eyebrows shot up. His eyes landed on the now-empty box, and his face froze.
“Burp”
We stared at each other, speechless.
I couldn’t help but let out a full burp.
“Eh?”
“Where did you find that…”
His voice sounded calm—so calm that it made me want to crawl back to my little nest.
“Uh… Under the bed.”
I mumbled.
He closed his eyes, as if he’d given up thinking.
“So you… ate it?”
“Big Mouth ate it, not me.”
He took a deep breath, but no matter what, he just couldn’t straighten up.
“I don’t even have words to describe you anymore, you know that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind… Just go to sleep.”
After he said that, he didn’t bother with me anymore. He just lay on the bed and closed his eyes.
It suddenly felt like he’d lost his soul…
But since he said sleep, and didn’t hold me accountable, of course I was happy.
I climbed off the floor and returned to my bean bag chair, ready for a good sleep.
Just as I was about to drift off into darkness, his voice suddenly came:
“By the way, Sui.”
“Mm…” I mumbled sleepily.
“Don’t tell Qu Le about this…” His voice suddenly grew cold and threatening, “Or you’ll absolutely, 100% never get to eat anything tasty ever again.”
“Why…”
“No reason. Just don’t say anything.”