Chapter 9: In Short

“What did you say?” He Yuan yanked the door shut, the few centimeters he had pushed it open. Leaning in slightly, his tone turned icy. “I like men?”

 

Jian Yanzhi blinked innocently and casually patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m very open-minded. I don’t discriminate against same-sex relationships.”

 

“Hmph,” He Yuan scoffed, his face darkening. “Should I thank you for that?”

 

“No need to be polite,” Jian Yanzhi replied instantly.

 

He Yuan’s lips twitched, too annoyed to argue further. He was about to push the door open again when something struck him. He turned to her sharply. “How did you connect this disgusting conclusion about my preferences to whether you’re attractive or not?”

 

Jian Yanzhi scoffed. “You already forgot what you said this afternoon? Who was it who said they were tired of seeing me on the livestream?”

 

*I have plenty of fans too, you know! Don’t I have any dignity?*

 

“Oh,” He Yuan drawled sarcastically. “So you actually watch my livestreams.”

 

Jian Yanzhi choked, her bravado instantly fading. “So what if I do? What’s wrong with that?”

 

“Watching is fine, but try using your brain,” He Yuan said, raising an eyebrow slightly. “So, is that why you’ve been targeting me all day?”

 

Jian Yanzhi glared at him. “When have I ever targeted you?”

 

He Yuan paused thoughtfully. “You wouldn’t give me any cherries.”

 

“… …”

 

“Hey, when I said I was tired of seeing something, I meant that poster,” He Yuan said, his lazy eyes twinkling like distant stars as he met her gaze. His low voice drawled, “I wasn’t talking about you.”

 

Jian Yanzhi froze, an inexplicable warmth prickling behind her ears.

 

He Yuan sighed, his face radiating the expression of “Brains are a good thing—I hope you have some.” “And another thing—when you watch livestreams, just watch the stream. Skip the chat comments. ‘He likes men’? How boring.”

 

“You don’t like men?!” Jian Yanzhi asked suspiciously.

 

“Do I look gay to you?”

 

Jian Yanzhi shook her head. “Not really.”

 

He Yuan looked relieved. “Good.”

 

“But you do look like the top.”

 

He Yuan stared blankly. “???”

 

Though Jian Yanzhi wasn’t entirely convinced by He Yuan’s denial of liking men, her mood had inexplicably improved over the past few days. At least he hadn’t outright confessed to liking her crazy brother, allowing her to salvage her sanity. She’d take that as a win.

 

As Chinese New Year’s Eve approached, the members, substitutes, and staff of DSG Base were granted leave. Lin Mao and the others packed their bags, preparing to depart. Jian Boyi, however, slowly ambled across the street to his home in a puffy down jacket, under their resentful glares. With a smug wave, he called out, “I’m home safe! Be careful during the Spring Festival travel rush!”

 

“…………”

 

The day before Lunar New Year’s Eve, Jian Heshu, Guan Min, and their daughter Jian Yanzhi boarded a plane to Shangsha for rehearsals for the Spring Festival Gala. The once-bustling family home was now occupied only by Jian Yanzhi and her younger brother, Jian Boyi, a situation they had grown accustomed to over the years, as their parents rarely spent the holiday at home.

 

On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Jian Yanzhi was awakened by a stomach growling with hunger. She stumbled to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, only to find it completely empty.

 

“Are they even our real parents? They couldn’t even leave us a crumb,” Jian Yanzhi sighed, reaching for her phone to order takeout. But with the holiday rush nearing its peak, every delivery restaurant she usually relied on was closed.

 

A dark cloud settled over Jian Yanzhi’s face. She trudged upstairs and pounded on Jian Boyi’s door.

 

“Jian Boyi,” she called out, shuffling in her slippers as she leaned against the doorframe. “Jian Boyi, are you awake?”

 

“Jian Boyi, I’m starving to death! Aren’t you hungry?”

 

“Jian Boyi!”

 

Finally, an irritated roar erupted from inside the room. “What is it? If you’re hungry, go eat! Do I have to spoon-feed you?”

 

“If there was anything to eat, why would I be yelling at you?!” Jian Yanzhi kicked the door hard. “The fridge is empty! Get up and go buy some food!”

 

“I’m tired. Go yourself.”

 

“I’d rather go myself!” Jian Yanzhi pressed her temples. “Get up and come with me. Hey, don’t you need to eat?”

 

Silence hung in the room for a long moment. Jian Yanzhi scoffed. “Fine, fine, stay in bed. I’ll call Mom and ask her to figure something out.”

 

A few seconds later…

 

“Here’s the key.” The door creaked open, revealing Jian Boyi standing behind it with his hair a disheveled mess.

 

Jian Yanzhi smirked, knowing he was afraid of getting scolded by their parents.

 

But…

 

“Why are you giving me the key?”

 

Jian Boyi rolled his eyes, grumbling, “The DSG Base key. Go grab some food from the fridge across the hall. There should be plenty of frozen stuff in the freezer.”

 

Jian Yanzhi blinked. “The DSG Base key…”

 

“Sis, I didn’t fall asleep until 4 a.m. last night! Please, just let me sleep a little longer, okay? Please!” He tossed her the key and slammed the door shut with a bang.

 

Jian Yanzhi stood there, speechless.

 

The weather outside was frigid. Shuffling in her cotton slippers and wrapped in a thick robe, Jian Yanzhi dashed across the hall to the DSG Base entrance.

 

*Click*. She unlocked the door, flicked on the lights, and hurried to the kitchen.

 

The empty base felt eerily silent, sending a chill down her spine. But the moment she saw the food in the fridge, she promptly forgot all about the unsettling atmosphere.

 

The freezer wasn’t just stocked with frozen foods like dumplings; it even had steaks!

 

Jian Yanzhi crouched down, excitedly rummaging through the items. After careful deliberation, she finally selected two bags of fresh pork dumplings and two vacuum-sealed steaks.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Ah!” The sudden voice in the empty base startled Jian Yanzhi, causing her to instinctively hurl the food in her arms backward.

 

*Thud… thud!*

 

One sound was the frozen food hitting someone; the other was it bouncing off and hitting the floor. Jian Yanzhi stood with her mouth agape, staring in horror at the man behind her.

 

“What’s with that expression? Did you see a ghost?” The man behind her wore a detached expression, likely having just woken up. He was still in his pajamas, with the belt tied loosely.

 

Jian Yanzhi took a few deep breaths to calm herself. “You’re no better than a ghost, scaring me half to death!”

 

“No better than a ghost?” He Yuan scoffed. “Your eyesight must be terrible.”

 

“…”

 

“You… why aren’t you home?” Now that Jian Yanzhi had regained her composure, she realized the gravity of the situation. It was the Lunar New Year, yet he was still at the base.

 

“I was planning to go back,” He Yuan said, pulling her aside as he bent down to retrieve a bag of dumplings. “But something came up, so I’m staying.”

 

“Oh,” Jian Yanzhi paused, then added, “So, what could possibly be so important that you have to do it on New Year’s Day?”

 

“So many questions,” He Yuan said, rising to his feet and looking down at her. “Shouldn’t you be explaining why you snuck in here in the first place?”

 

“I didn’t sneak in,” Jian Yanzhi straightened her shoulders. “Bo Yi gave me the key. He said there was food here, so I came to get it.”

 

He Yuan’s lips curled into a faint smile. He tossed the bag of dumplings onto the counter, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Is this some new hobby? Do you think the food in your neighbor’s fridge tastes better?”

 

“Not exactly,” Jian Yanzhi shifted aside to make room for him. “Mom and Dad are away, Auntie went home for the holiday, I can’t even order takeout, and most importantly, my fridge is completely empty.”

 

He Yuan paused in tearing open the dumpling bag, glancing sideways at her. Jian Yanzhi blinked her large eyes, a hint of vulnerability in her expression.

 

“What are you looking at?” Jian Yanzhi’s heart skipped a beat under his sudden, piercing gaze.

 

He Yuan didn’t answer. Instead, he casually raised a hand above her head, then slowly lowered it until it hovered just below his own chin. Finally, he said, “I remember Mao Mao saying your height on Baidu is 168 centimeters. But… are you sure you’re really that tall?”

 

Jian Yanzhi froze, startled, and quickly took a step back. “Wh-what do you mean? Of course I’m 168!”

 

Normally, when she skipped over from across the street, she wore high heels. Today, she’d made the rare choice of slippers, which naturally made her appear noticeably shorter.

 

Wait a minute… slippers.

 

Jian Yanzhi stiffened, as if suddenly remembering something crucial. She slowly turned to glance at her reflection in the nearby glass mirror.

 

Thick pajamas, rumpled hair, a tired, makeup-free face pale from sleepless nights…

 

How could she have forgotten? She’d rushed out of the house without even bothering to freshen up!

 

And now she’d run into He Yuan like this?

 

Damn it! All her carefully maintained image was crumbling to pieces at this very moment!

 

“Turns out, even Baidu Baike isn’t always accurate,” He Yuan remarked casually, just as Jian Yanzhi was agonizing over whether to vanish immediately.

 

“Who says? I *am* 168!” Desperate to salvage her dignity, Jian Yanzhi blurted out.

 

“Someone who’s 158 will always claim to be 160, and someone who’s 160 will compulsively add a few centimeters,” He Yuan said, giving her a detached glance. “You celebrities really shouldn’t overdo it.”

 

Jian Yanzhi sputtered, “What’s wrong with it?!”

 

He Yuan stopped what he was doing, turned sideways, and looked Jian Yanzhi up and down. “You’re… 162 centimeters?”

 

“Impossible!”

 

“Then 163?”

 

“I…”

 

“163 at most. I won’t budge.”

 

“Your eyesight is terrible! I’m 165, okay?!”

 

“Oh, really?” He Yuan smirked. “Just like I said, Baidu Baike is full of lies.”

 

Jian Yanzhi stared at him in silence.

 

“Alright, stop blocking the way. Grab your food and go home.” He Yuan poured boiling water into the pot, slammed the lid on, and added, “Oh, and lock the door on your way out.”

 

Jian Yanzhi snatched up her food and stomped toward the door.

 

“Wait.”

 

She hadn’t even left the kitchen when he called out. Jian Yanzhi whirled around, scowling. “What now?”

 

“Leave the steak.” He Yuan leaned against the counter, tapping his finger in the air. “There are only two left.”

 

“You can’t possibly eat both by yourself!”

 

“And you don’t need to take both.”

 

“…”

 

Having accepted his generosity, Jian Yanzhi reluctantly put one steak back. “I’ll take one. I’ll go to the supermarket tonight and bring you another one.”

 

“Fine. But you’ll pay interest,” He Yuan said with a straight face.

 

“Interest?”

 

“You take one, you pay back two.”

 

“……”

 

He Yuan noticed her hesitation and raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Unhappy with the terms? If you don’t like it, you don’t get to take even one.”

 

*Damn it!*

 

“Fine, interest it is!”