Chapter 26: Instantly Forgiven

When Ji Xu inserted his key into the lock and turned it half a circle, he caught a rich aroma leaking out from the door seam.

The moment he pushed the door open, the scents of soy sauce, rock sugar, star anise, and cinnamon surged toward him, filling the entire entryway in a warm and dense embrace.

From the kitchen came the clattering of a spatula, the sizzling of oil, and the hum of the range hood, while yellow light spilled out from the kitchen doorway, bathing the living room floor in a warm, cozy gold.

“Rong Du, you’re home!”

Ji Xu swapped into his slippers, walked over to the kitchen doorway, and leaned against the frame to peer inside.

Rong Du was standing in front of the stove with his back turned, wearing a pale blue apron as he bent over to check on something in the pot.

When the lid was lifted, white steam billowed out, carrying the rich, savory fragrance of braised pork ribs straight up his nose, making Ji Xu’s stomach rumble betrayingly.

Rong Du turned his head to glance at him, the corners of his eyes curving slightly.

A thin sheen of sweat from the kitchen steam glinted faintly on his face under the light.

“Company wasn’t busy today, so I came back early since I had nothing to do this afternoon.”

He turned back around to continue stirring the ribs in the pot, adding another spoonful of dark soy sauce for color as the sauce bubbled away, coating every single rib until it gleamed with a rich, glossy red finish.

“There’s a small cake I bought for you in the fridge.”

Ji Xu’s eyes instantly lit up.

He practically bounced on his feet as he turned around, dashed to the fridge in two strides, and pulled open the door, where a neat little white paper box sat right on the middle shelf of the fridge compartment.

He pulled it out and took off the box lid; inside, a delicate cream cake sat obediently on its paper base, sprinkled with a layer of fine chocolate shavings and topped with two bright red strawberries whose stems were still a vivid green, garnished with a tiny mint leaf on the side.

The cream was the pure white, dense kind with perfectly neat piped edges, clearly fresh from a bakery.

Carrying the small cake over to the living room, he sank onto the sofa, unwrapped the included small plastic spoon, and scooped up a generous bite.

The moment the cream melted on his tongue, sweetness and milky flavor surged together; the subtle bitterness of the chocolate was balanced out by the soft cake base, while the tartness of the strawberries bloomed faintly from the back of his tongue only after swallowing.

Ji Xu narrowed his eyes and took another big bite, chewing away as he forgot most of the small annoyances from his journey over.

Carrying the cake box, he walked back to the kitchen doorway, leaned against the frame, and held up the spoon with an untasted bite of cake, extending it toward Rong Du.

“Rong Du, try this! This cake is super delicious.”

Ji Xu’s voice carried a sweet, sticky quality from having food in his mouth as his bright eyes locked onto Rong Du’s back.

Rong Du set down the spatula and turned around, seeing Ji Xu holding the spoon right up to his lips, complete with an irregular bitten edge remaining in the cream and cake crumbs on the spoon, and a faint smear of white cream still clinging to Ji Xu’s own lips.

Rong Du froze for a brief moment before lowering his head, leaning toward the spoon Ji Xu offered, and taking that bite of cake into his mouth.

The sweetness of the cream, chocolate shavings, and sponge cake exploded in his mouth all at once; he chewed and swallowed, realizing in his head—this was indeed the exact spoon Ji Xu had just bitten.

A barely noticeable shade of red crept onto the tips of his ears as he turned back around to continue flipping the ribs in the pot, keeping his voice as steady as possible: “I’m glad you like it.”

Ji Xu tossed the empty cake box and spoon into the trash can, licking the remaining sweetness off the corners of his lips in satisfaction.

“I’ll go chill on the sofa then, won’t interrupt your cooking.”

He turned and walked a couple of steps before pivoting back, leaning close to Rong Du.

“You got this!”

He had zero intention of offering to help.

Rong Du gave a soft hum, using the spatula to turn the last few ribs a couple of times, turning off the heat to plate them once the sauce had reduced nicely.

Ji Xu sank into the soft sofa cushions, curling his legs up into the most comfortable position, holding his phone up in front of his eyes to scroll through a couple of messages.

In the anime club chat, everyone was heatedly discussing what props to bring for next week’s upcoming showcase event; Qian Chenhe sent a few long voice notes, which Ji Xu tapped on to listen to for just a second before putting down, resting his phone on his chest as he stared blankly at the ceiling for a bit.

The aroma of the braised ribs drifted continuously from the kitchen, while the cold air from the air conditioner distributed a cool breeze evenly throughout the room; his eyelids grew heavier and heavier until his phone slid from his chest into the sofa crease with a soft clack, which he didn’t even bother to pick up, simply closing his eyes right then and there.

No one knew how much time had passed when Ji Xu felt something poking his face.

First, it lightly tapped his cheekbone, and then it poked the corner of his mouth, moving in a playfully mischievous rhythm—once, twice, three times.

His brow furrowed slightly as that troublesome finger on his face poked his nose tip, making it itch.

In a haze of sleepiness, Ji Xu raised his hand and grabbed that misbehaving hand in one quick motion, tugging it forcefully toward himself.

Rong Du had originally been sitting on the back of the sofa, leaning over to call him for dinner, so his balance was already shaky; with Ji Xu’s sudden pull, he let out a short “Whoops!” and tumbled right off the sofa back, landing flat on top of Ji Xu.

Chest pressed against chest, arms tangled together, Rong Du’s full weight crashed straight down, knocking a muffled gasp out of Ji Xu as the breath was nearly pressed out of his lungs.

“Rong Du, get up quick, you’re heavy as a rock!”

Ji Xu pushed at the person on top of him with his hands; Rong Du braced his arms against the sofa cushion to lift his upper body slightly, but their legs were still tangled together.

The two of them were stacked on the sofa in an extremely awkward position, Ji Xu’s face pinned between Rong Du’s shoulder and the back of the sofa, turning a bit flushed from the squeeze.

Rong Du lowered his head to look down at the person pinned beneath him; Ji Xu’s eyelashes were still damp with moisture from having just woken up, his lips slightly parted, and the texture pattern of the sofa cushion was temporarily pressed into his cheek.

The corner of Rong Du’s mouth curved upward: “You’re the one who pulled me down.”

Ji Xu blinked his eyes, the sleepiness not entirely dissipated, though his mind was mostly awake now.

Realizing that he had indeed been the one to drag him down, a pleading, pleasing smile immediately plastered onto his face, his voice dragging out in a soft, sweet whine: “I’m sorry, Rong Du, I didn’t mean to! Can you get up please?”

Looking at his coaxing act, Rong Du had no choice but to shift his weight off Ji Xu, though he didn’t fully stand up just yet—his palms braced against the sofa cushion, creating a little distance between his upper body and Ji Xu’s, but instead of standing up right away, he lowered his head, cupped Ji Xu’s face with both hands, and rubbed his thumbs gently against Ji Xu’s cheekbones.

Ji Xu’s skin was pleasantly warm from waking up, so when the hands—chilled slightly by the air conditioning—touched him, the temperature contrast made Ji Xu flinch just a bit; Rong Du’s thumbs brushed against his soft cheek, sinking in squishily before bouncing back up.

“How did your skin get so nice?”

Rong Du squished him while talking; the texture really felt different from before, much smoother than during military training, carrying a supple elasticity that came from being well cared for.

Ji Xu stared wide-eyed at him, his mouth pouting slightly from the pressure of Rong Du’s hands on his cheeks: “Rong Du, stop squishing!”

His voice was warped out of shape from his face being cupped, sounding both muffled and aggrieved.

Rong Du pinched him twice more before letting go, pushing himself up off him.

Ji Xu sat up right after, the red marks on his fair skin looking extra obvious, a pale pink layer spreading from his cheekbones all the way to the base of his ears, like the lingering trace left behind after being pressed firmly by something soft.

He held his own face, looking up at Rong Du standing beside the sofa, and announced with absolute righteousness: “Rong Du, I am NEVER forgiving you.”

Rong Du glanced at him, turned around to walk toward the dining table, and said casually as he walked: “Oh, then I’ll serve fewer ribs.”

The righteous stance on Ji Xu’s face instantly collapsed.

Without even putting on his slippers, he jumped right off the sofa, his bare feet padding patter-patter across the floor as he chased him to the dining table.

He slammed his bottom onto a chair, leaning his head forward to rub against Rong Du’s shoulder, just like a little animal that forgot all previous grudges the second it caught the scent of meat.

“Rong Du,” he squeezed his voice into an extra soft and sweet tone, “The ribs you made smell amazing!”

Four dishes were laid out on the dining table.

The braised pork ribs were piled high into a glossy, dark-brown mountain on a white porcelain plate, the rich sauce cooked down until thick and shiny, every single rib coated in a layer of glistening gelatin.

The poached shrimp were neatly arranged on another plate, their shells a vibrant red, set next to a small dipping dish filled with vinegar and minced ginger.

The stir-fried cabbage was bright green and crisp, while the thinly sliced pork belly in the pork and chili stir-fry had curled up slightly from the heat, the aromas of green pepper and garlic blending together to create an irresistible companion for rice.

Ji Xu picked up a piece of rib from the plate with his chopsticks and took a bite; the meat was braised until tender enough to fall off the bone, the rich savory sauce carrying a sweet hint of rock sugar, every fiber of meat soaked through with the flavor of the broth.

He chewed twice with his cheeks puffed out, nodding repeatedly, and held up the rib bone like it was some kind of holy relic, waving it toward Rong Du: “Rong Du, you shall forever have my devotion!”

Rong Du sat down opposite him, served himself a bowl of rice, unhurriedly picked up a poached shrimp to dip in the sauce, and watched Ji Xu’s completely bribed expression with the corners of his mouth turned up: “Who was it that just said they wouldn’t forgive me?”

Ji Xu swallowed the meat in his mouth and tilted his head with utter confidence: “Who could be so ungrateful as to actually be mad at you? Tell me, and I’ll scold them for you!”

After saying that, he grabbed another rib, munching away until a ring of sauce smeared around his mouth, completely unaware that he had just insulted himself.

Amused by his fierce attitude of “scolding even myself when I get mad,” Rong Du let out a small laugh, picked up a rib, and placed it in Ji Xu’s bowl, followed by two poached shrimp using his chopsticks.

“Eat more if you like it,” Rong Du said, his voice lowering slightly as he watched Ji Xu attentively focusing on the ribs, “There are still ingredients in the fridge, so I can cook more if it’s not enough.”

While he was speaking, Ji Xu’s chopsticks had already reached out to grab a mouthful of the pork and chili stir-fry, shoveling the glossy meat and green pepper into his mouth together; spice and savory meatiness exploded simultaneously, making him sniffle before going in for another bite.

Rong Du stood up to pour a glass of room-temperature water, setting it right by Ji Xu’s hand before sitting back down, his gaze falling onto Ji Xu’s profile as he ate with his head down.

The overhead light fell onto the crown of his head; loose strands from his low ponytail rested against his nape, his cheeks bore a light flush from the spice, sauce clung to the corner of his lips, and his eyelashes cast tiny shadows across his cheekbones.

After watching for a few seconds, Rong Du lowered his head to eat his own meal, the smile at the corners of his mouth never fading away.

The meal lasted over half an hour.

Ji Xu single-handedly wiped out most of the plate of ribs, a tiny mountain of shrimp shells piled up in front of him, and even the stir-fried pork plate was picked clean.

Leaning back against the chair back while holding his stomach, he let out a satisfied burp and was just about to say “I’ll wash the dishes” when Rong Du had already stood up to clear the table.

Rong Du waved his hand, saying “Just rest,” before carrying the plates into the kitchen, where the tap water began to splash loudly.

Ji Xu nestled into the sofa holding a throw pillow, listening to the soft clinking of dishes in the kitchen while watching the twilight outside slowly sink away.

He buried his face into the pillow, breathing in the clean scent belonging to Rong Du lingering on the fabric, and let out a long, peaceful sigh.

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