Grocery Store No.514

Jiang Chengyan walked to the bathroom with clothes in his hand along with the image of Ling Hua’an topless lingering in his mind. He used to think he was straight, not to mention that in this fast-paced era, he is now already thirty years old and still a virgin. 

But just now, after seeing Liang Hua’an topless body, his mouth was dry and ready to move like a cat’s paw¹. Jiang Chengyan sighed in his heart, and he had to say that he really fell for it.

His liking for Ling Hua’an had long surpassed his imagination.

“Chengyan, it’s cold. Remember to turn on the warm air, don’t catch a cold.”

Jiang Chengyan’s thoughts were interrupted by Ling Hua’an’s voice, he quickly responded and said, “Okay.”

Hearing the bathroom door being closed, Ling Hua’an raised his mouth and listened carefully to the movement inside. When he heard rushing water, he groped to the door and neatly turned his handle to open the door.

The naked Jiang Chengyan looked at Ling Hua’an at the door with a dumbfounded face. It took him a while to react before quickly picking up the bath towel to block his body and stammered, “Hua …… Hua’an, how did you get in?”

Ling Hua’an didn’t say a word, walked directly into the bathroom, and closed the door.

Looking at Ling Hua’an approaching slowly, Jiang Chengyan subconsciously swallowed his saliva. His heart was beating so nervously, that he incoherently said,  “Hua …… Hua’an, that, you …… what do you want to do? “

The thunderous heartbeat delighted Ling Hua’an. His previous depression has been swept away. He reached out his hand around Jiang Chengyan and picked up a watch he had put away from the shelf behind him. “I took it off when I went to the bathroom before. Just remembered about it. I called a few times outside the door, but you didn’t answer, so I went in and got it myself. Chengyan, don’t be nervous, I can’t see…”

‘Is this something that can’t make you nervous even if you can’t see it?’  Jiang Chengyan wailed in his heart, his duplicity said, “I was thinking about something just now, but maybe I didn’t hear it clearly. That… Hua’an, can you go out now?”

If he is not leaving, Jiang Chengyan really can’t guarantee that he won’t do anything out of line.

Jiang Chengyan’s emotional intelligence was so touching.  How many times did he tease him this day, this wood² just doesn’t understand.”

“En. Take your bath slowly, I’ll go to sleep for a while.”

Ling Hua’an turned and walked out of the bathroom. Jiang Chengyan realized that his tone was not right and wanted to chase after him, but he was still hanging on to the gap. He can’t do anything naked, what’s more, his face was thin and he could only hold down his emotions and wait until the bath was over.

After taking a shower in a hurry, Jiang Chengyan changed his clothes and left the bathroom. When he came to the bedroom door, he raised his hand and wanted to knock, but when he remembered that Ling Hua’an was on night duty, he put down his hand.

Ling Hua’an was on duty at seven o’clock in the morning, and he called him at nine o’clock. He hasn’t slept until two o’clock. He actually forgot about it. He wanted to leave, but couldn’t bear it. Wanted to go in but was afraid will disturb his sleep. After thinking about it, Jiang Chengyan decided to read a book for a while and wait for him to wake up.

Standing at the door of the study, Jiang Chengyan hesitated before opening the door and walking in. The room was as clean and tidy as the outside. On the wall facing the door is a bookshelf occupying the whole wall, which is neatly filled with books. The history books he bought for Ling Hua’an are placed in the middle. On the table are a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. The faint scent of ink and paper lingers in his nose, which smells much better than those of perfumes and cosmetics. Jiang Chengyan walked to the bookshelf, took out a history book, and read it. If he wanted to read it for Ling Hua’an, it would be better to preview it first, as it would be too embarrassing to read any unfamiliar words.

Ling Hua’an slept until evening. In fact, when Jiang Chengyan walked around in front of his bedroom door after taking a shower, he hadn’t slept yet. He was fully expecting Jiang Chengyan to wake up and open the door to come in, but after waiting for a long time, there was no movement. Ling Hua’an feels angry and ridiculous at the same time. He overestimated Jiang Chengyan’s emotional intelligence again, so he closed his eyes in a fit of anger, and fell asleep after a while.

The reason why Ling Hua’an insisted on letting Jiang Chengyan confess first is because of Jiang Chengyan’s family background. When he found out that he had a crush on him, Ling Hua’an asked Yan Yu to find Jiang Chengyan’s information. Jiang Chengyan’s father is a real estate tycoon in Huacheng, owning billions of assets. It can be said that Jiang Chengyan is a real rich second generation. Jiang Chengyan’s mother died early and his father remarried again. His stepmother has only given birth to one daughter, so Jiang Chengyan is currently the only male member of the Jiang family.

However, just like him. Jiang Chengyan doesn’t have a good relationship with his family. He moved out to live on his own very early, and being able to climb to the current position is also the result of his own efforts. Not many within the police department knew about his life. Although Jiang Chengyan seems free, which is also the result of his father’s apathy. If he wanted to be with him, he would have to endure a lot of obstacles. Ling Hua’an was not afraid, but there was no guarantee that Jiang Chengyan would be as firm as him, so he had to confirm Jiang Chengyan’s determination before starting this relationship.

Ling Hua’an sat up, touched his mobile phone, turned on the smart voice, and said, “What time is it?”

A slightly mechanical voice sounded, “It’s 5:25 in the afternoon. ”

“Is it already past five o’clock? ”

Ling Hua’an fumbled out of bed, opened the bedroom door, and walked out.

“Hua’an, you’re awake.”

“Hua’an you’re awake.”

The two voices spoke in unison.

Ling Hua’an was stunned for a moment, then reacted, “Yan Yu you’re here, didn’t I tell you that you don’t need to come today?”

Yan Yu glanced at Jiang Chengyan and said lightly, “I’m not at ease.”

Ling Hua’an said with a smile, “today Chengyan came here as a guest. With his help, what are you worried about?”

“I am not at ease.” It’s still the same sentence, even the tone hasn’t changed.

Yan Yu naturally greeted him, held Ling Hua’an’s arm, and sat down in front of the sofa. Jiang Chengyan, who had planned to get up, sat back bitterly. Looking at the tacit understanding between them, he felt more and more unhappy.

“If I were an employee of your company and had a boss like you who didn’t care. I would definitely have to consider whether I want to follow you.”

Yan Yu didn’t speak, he walked straight to the kitchen and a rushing sound of water can be heard. 

Ling Hua’an looked at Jiang Chengyan and said, “sorry, I slept all afternoon.”

The polite tone made Jiang Chengyan’s heart sour. He smiled and said, “It’s okay, I didn’t think you were on the night shift. You only slept for three hours today, can you hold it up?”

“Only occasionally, it’s okay. ”

While the two were talking, Yan Yu came out of the kitchen, holding a tray in his hand with a teapot and a teacup on it. Pushed the cup and poured the tea in front of Jiang Chengyan. Yan Yu picked up another cup of plain water and handed it to Ling Hua’an’s hand saying, “you just woke up and your stomach is empty. Drink some water first.”

Ling Hua’an smiled, held the cup, and drank half of it. Just when he wanted to put it down, it was picked up by Yan Yu. The action is skilled, and at first, glance looks like he often did this. Jiang Chengyan didn’t feel good when he saw it. He took a sip from the teacup. The tea tasted clearly in the mouth, but he felt it was bitter.

Ling Hua’an asked casually, “What would Chengyan want for dinner?

“I’ve eaten too much at noon, and I’m not hungry now. I’ll eat whatever you eat.” Putting down the teacup, Jiang Chengyan pretended to be nonchalant.

Ling Hua’an looked at Yan Yu and asked, “What about Yan Yu?”

“Eat what’s in the fridge.”

After listening to the two people’s answers, Ling Hua’an said, dumbfounded, “You two are good to be served. Okay, if you don’t say it, then I’ll decide. Four dishes for three people should be enough. Chengyan bought beef, let’s make stir-fried beef with green peppers. Then a diced grape chicken scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and boiled a pot of mushroom soup. It should be enough.

“Okay, you listen to the news for a while, I’ll make it.”  Yan Yu always obeyed Ling Hua’an’s words unconditionally. He turned on the TV, adjusted the news channel, and put the remote control in Ling Hua’an’s hands. Then walked to the kitchen.

Seeing this, Jiang Chengyan also got up, “Then I’ll give him a hand.”

Looking in the direction of the kitchen, Ling Hua’an hooked the corners of his lips. Yan Yu treated him so well. Even too good. Ling Hua’an once doubted Yan Yu’s intentions toward him. He had also tested it, but Yan Yu never gave him an answer and Ling Hua’an slowly felt relieved.

He felt that Yan Yu was only dependent on him like a family member, just like Lu Hao. But Jiang Chengyan didn’t know it. He hoped that Yan Yu’s arrival would stimulate that fool and make his emotional intelligence a little bit higher.

Although the TV was on, Ling Hua’an focused his attention on the kitchen. But after listening for a long time, except for the sound of water, and the collision of pots and pans, he could not hear any human communication at all. Thinking of Yan Yu’s indifferent temperament, Ling Hua’an was relieved. Instead of paying attention to the kitchen, he focused on the news.

There is no small talk, and the work collaboration is strange. But, the four dishes and one soup are completed in an hour. The three sat around the table to eat, but the atmosphere was a little subtle.

“Hua’an, try this beef, I thought it was quite cheap when I bought it, but I didn’t expect it to be so tender.” Jiang Chengyan put a piece of beef into Ling Hua’an’s bowl.

Before Ling Hua’an could eat it, Yan Yu put the beef into his bowl and said, “Today’s green peppers are too spicy, your stomach can’t handle it.”

Jiang Chengyan’s face stiffened, and then asked with concern,”Hua’an, is your stomach not good?”

“No, Yan Yu is too tense.” Ling Hua’an reluctantly kicked Yanyu’s foot.

“He was hospitalized not long ago because of stomach problems.” Yan Yu said, ignoring Ling Hua’an’s warning.

“Hospitalized? Jiang Chengyan frowned subconsciously, he thought for a while, and asked, “The grocery store didn’t open for a few days last month because you were hospitalized?”

“It’s nothing, old problems. In fact, there is no need to be hospitalized at all. They just make a fuss. ”

“You have been hospitalized, how can it be okay?”

Thinking of the pickled fish at noon, Ling Hua’an specially put a lot of pepper to cater to his taste. Jiang Chengyan couldn’t help but feel annoyed and asked worriedly, “The lunch meal… Hua’an, is your stomach okay?”

Yan Yu stopped his movements, looked at Ling Hua’an, and asked with a frown, “What did you eat for lunch?”

“Nothing, just pickled fish. I’m fine, don’t make a fuss, okay?”

Yan Yu looked at Jiang Chengyan and asked, “Who made the pickled fish at noon? What’s wrong with it?”

Concerning Ling Hua’an’s health, Jiang Chengyan didn’t intend to hide it and said honestly, “I made it. I like spicy food, and I put a lot of pepper in the pickled fish.”

“Hua’an.”

Yan Yu’s tone was light, but Ling Hua’an could hear the dissatisfaction in his words, and smiled helplessly and said, “I understand. I won’t do it next time.”

Yan Yu looked at Jiang Chengyan again, with complicated and inexplicable emotions in his eyes, he was silent for a while. “His stomach is not good, he can’t eat too spicy, too oily, or too salty. If I’m not here, you supervise him for me.”

Jiang Chengyan was taken aback. He didn’t expect Yan Yu, who had been hostile to him before, to react like this now. Jiang Chengyan’s expression changed when he looked at Yan Yu, and he smiled and said, “Okay. ”

When Ling Hua’an heard this, he didn’t whether he should cry or laugh, “No, since when did you two become allies? So I’m not trusted by you guys?”

Yan Yu picked up a piece of chicken and put it in Ling Hua’an’s bowl, and said lightly, “You have a criminal record.”

“Yes, and the evidence is solid.” Jiang Chengyan echoed with a smile.

“Well, you guys are singing the same thing, I admit defeat.”

Although Ling Hua’an wanted to use Yan Yu to stimulate Jiang Chengyan’s emotional intelligence, after looking at the two could get along well, it’s what Ling Hua’an looked forward to seeing. After all, they were both close and important people to him.

~~~

1.  to begin to stir / to get restless / to become threatening. Or It can be  an analogy of the enemy preparing to attack or the bad guys plotting to make trouble ↺
2. slow-witted/blockhead ↺