Chapter 12
I searched everywhere in the main mansion but couldn’t find Zhao Gongzi. A chill ran through my heart, and I rushed back to the apartment.
In the darkness, Zhao Gongzi had eaten every single one of my chocolates.
I knew it would turn out this way.
If I had known this beforehand, back when I first saw Zhao Gongzi losing a fight with Fifth Brother and drinking Fourth Master Zhao’s liquor, I never should have shared half of my chocolate with him. He scoffed down that half in two or three bites, and then snatched away my remaining half.
From then on, every time he lost face in front of Fifth Brother, he would eat all my chocolates.
He must be using this method to force me to hate Fifth Brother.
Having finished my chocolates, Zhao Gongzi cast his gaze toward my dog.
I tried my best to push Ham out the door, but Ham stubbornly refused to leave. Since it was a matter of life and death and he wouldn’t budge, I couldn’t save him either. I might as well head to the kitchen to prepare the Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and fennel.
Just as I was crossing the living room, the telephone happened to ring.
Fifth Brother asked, “Yixin, is Xiao Long okay?”
I said, “He has a cold and has fallen asleep.”
Fifth Brother said, “I’ll come over to see him.”
I said, “It’s rare for you to come back, you should spend more time accompanying the Master.”
Fifth Brother said, “Dad and the Ambassador went off to handle some business. I just sent Anna back, which is not far from your apartment. I originally planned to call everyone out for a drink, but Eldest Sister said Xiao Long wasn’t feeling well and went back, so I called to check. I’ll head over to see him now.”
Fifth Brother was a highly opinionated man, so he hung up immediately after speaking, completely disregarding whatever I had to say.
I set down the receiver, and the moment I turned around, Zhao Gongzi gave me a fright. “Could you make a sound when you move?!”
Zhao Gongzi said, “Change your clothes. Go out and play with him.”
I didn’t want to change my clothes anymore.
Zhao Gongzi said that if I didn’t change my clothes, it meant I had a guilty conscience.
He really is so loathsome.
It was rare for the brothers and sisters to gather merrily like this, and Fifth Brother had always easily become the center of attention. He narrated how he crossed certain borders that were incredibly difficult to cross, how he dodged hails of bullets, how he adventured through jungles, and how he traversed snow-capped mountains.
Meanwhile, I just wanted to go home and sleep. I had an early shift tomorrow.
Fifth Brother had brought gifts for every single one of us. Mine was a military knife, and Zhao Gongzi’s was a box of chocolates.
He might have gotten something mixed up.
At the very least, I couldn’t comprehend what he expected me to do with a knife.
Right in front of them, Zhao Gongzi grinned broadly. “Perfect for you to stab me a couple of times whenever you’ve got nothing better to do.”
I said that Zhao Gongzi was drunk and we ought to head back. Zhao Gongzi said he wasn’t drunk. I said, “No, you are drunk.” Zhao Gongzi insisted he really wasn’t drunk. I asked Zhao Gongzi whether he wanted to pass out on his own or if he wanted me to help him pass out. He said he suddenly felt a little bit tipsy.
We took our leave of Fifth Brother.
As Fifth Brother saw us to the car, he suddenly handed me a letter. “This is a recommendation letter for the Capital University. Even though it’s only for an auditing status, either way, when you’re young and have dreams, you must pursue them. After all, a hundred years passes in the blink of an eye…”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but Eldest Sister was calling for him, so he patted my shoulder. “Aside from Third Brother, you’re my favorite one in this family. Take good care of yourself too.”
I got into the car, and surprisingly, Zhao Gongzi didn’t scold me. He silently unwrapped the chocolates and began eating them.
After everything, he and I shared the bond of being a couple for a night and a lifetime of devotionâa thousand years of karma to share a pillowâyet he really didn’t share a single piece with me.
Zhao Gongzi had been spoiled since childhood. All good things were presented right before him on a silver platter. He had no need to share with anyone, nor was he willing to share with anyone, which was why he detested Fifth Brother.
Back in the apartment, just as I was about to turn on the lights, Zhao Gongzi stopped me.
He had eaten a great deal of chocolate today, and his breath carried a lingering sweetness.
Even though I had told him numerous times that he was not allowed to lie in bed and smoke, Zhao Gongzi had never listened to a word I said anyway, and sat at the head of the bed smoking once again.
After pondering for a long time, I said, “I don’t like those clothes of yours.”
Zhao Gongzi didn’t speak.
I said, “The floor will be wiped by you, no smoking inside the apartment, and no more scolding me.”
Zhao Gongzi still didn’t speak.
I said, “Agree to these three conditions, and I won’t leave.”
Zhao Gongzi cursed at me, “Damn it, get the fuck out sooner.”
So I ignored him, buried my head, and went to sleep. I had to work in the morning, and after finishing work, I still had to pass the recommendation letter along to Third Brother. Of course, that letter was meant for Third Brother from Fifth Brother. Third Brother happened to be away tonight on business, and Fifth Brother would probably vanish without a trace again by midnight.
But I couldn’t tell Zhao Gongzi this fact for the time being, because I really loathed Ham’s fur smelling entirely of tobacco, and I really didn’t want to mop the floor.
After getting off work, I met up at a cafe with Third Brother, whose leg had finally recovered, and handed the recommendation letter to him.
Third Brother smiled. “If Dad finds out, he’ll definitely be reluctant to hit Fifth Brother, so he’ll hit me instead.”
I said, “Think it over again.”
Third Brother nodded, then hesitated before saying, “Sometimes, don’t always tease Xiao Long. He takes it seriously.”
I: “What’s wrong?”
Third Brother pointed behind me. I turned around to look, and there stood Zhao Gongzi outside the glass window behind me, chin tilted high, staring arrogantly like a big shot at the letter in Third Brother’s hand.
Ham was bound to end up smelling like tobacco-cured bacon, the floor would eventually be ruined by my mopping, and those clothes of Zhao Gongzi’s would continue to occupy half the wardrobe in my premium, downtown apartment where space was at an absolute premium.
Zhao Gongzi is truly loathsome.
Back when I was in school, I used to go on dates with people, yet I never managed to secure a second date, all because of him.
Whether I asked out a girl or a boy, he would always tag along with us.
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but Zhao Gongzi’s physique back then was somewhat on the plumper side.
I didn’t know what he went through, but starting from a certain year, whatever he ate turned into body fat. The doctor said he was going through a growth spurt, but that failed to explain why the food I ate somehow ended up putting weight on Zhao Gongzi instead.
For Zhao Gongzi, that period of time was by no means happy or bright.
