DILLYH Chapter 28

TL: Hua

Chapter 28: Keeping the Appointment

“What happened to your face?”

After calming down, Zhou Zizheng quickly noticed the abnormal redness on one side of his cheek. Yu Haozhou has fair skin, making the three red finger marks very obvious. Thinking of something, Zhou Zizheng’s expression immediately changed: “She hit you?”

“Uh, no…” It felt quite embarrassing to admit. Yu Haozhou glanced at him and then, slightly shyly, stammered, “I did it myself. I was too anxious; my mind was a mess, so I slapped myself once to clear my head.”

“…”

“Does it still hurt?” Zhou Zizheng’s fingertips touched the skin, which still seemed a little hot.

“Of course, it hurts!” Yu Haozhou exaggerated. “I wouldn’t hit you that hard!”

He said this deliberately, trying to cheer Zhou Zizheng up. But the unromantic man grabbed his hand and said seriously, “Then you slap me back to vent your anger.”

Yu Haozhou: “…”

He forcefully pulled his hand free and cursed in a low voice, “Are you sick?”

Zhou Zizheng was quite persistent: “I’m serious.”

Saying this, he reached out again to grab his hand, trying to slap himself in the face, as if doing so would make the slap mark disappear from Yu Haozhou’s face and stop the pain.

Yu Haozhou was truly speechless. Resisting his strength, he suddenly thought of something and said urgently, “If, if, if you really feel guilty, you can compensate me in a different way.”

Zhou Zizheng calmed down, still asking seriously, “What?”

Like a thief, he looked around twice. No one was in the corridor, but Yu Haozhou’s voice was still very low: “Just let me be the top once.”

Last time when they were planting vegetables, Zhou Zizheng tricked him with this trick, but when it came time for Yu Haozhou to actually do it, he refused, which infuriated Yu Haozhou.

He had been obsessing over getting his turn to counterattack. However, his desire outweighed his physical ability. After so many times, Yu Haozhou had come to terms with it. There was nothing wrong with being the one lying flat like a pillow, especially since Zhou Zizheng was skilled and served him very comfortably.

He could just tell others that he was the top.

Sure enough, when Zhou Zizheng heard this, his expression froze. His eyeballs stopped moving. Yu Haozhou chuckled inwardly, thinking: See? I knew this would be his reaction.

“…Okay.” Zhou Zizheng sounded like he was agreeing to some humiliating conditions, speaking as if he were resigned to death.

Yu Haozhou: “…”

Zhou Zizheng seemed to have made a decision. He took out his phone and opened a delivery platform. Yu Haozhou was still confused: “What are you buying?”

Zhou Zizheng was very composed: “Buying your size. The one we have is too big.”

“…What the f*ck, Zhou Zizheng.”

More than the chance to counterattack, Yu Haozhou cared that Zhou Zizheng was being utterly shameless and agreeing to anything. Knowing what happened, it was just a slap he gave himself; not knowing, one might think something terrible had happened, like he was dying.

He actually managed to get Zhou Zizheng, a person who took the dominant/submissive roles extremely seriously, to concede. It was as if he was throwing all future caution to the wind, living only for this moment.

Yu Haozhou, exasperated, pinched the soft flesh of his cheek, staring intently at him: “Zhou Zizheng, look at me.”

He stopped his hand movement. Zhou Zizheng’s mouth couldn’t close because a piece of his cheek was being pinched, making him look a bit funny, yet there was no sign of impatience in his eyes. He spoke with a slight lisp: “I’m looking at you.”

“The cats are fine, and I’m fine too,” Yu Haozhou said. “The things you worry about won’t happen again, and no one will dare to bully you. So, don’t be anxious anymore.”

“I know…”

Zhou Zizheng lowered his eyelashes, and Yu Haozhou also lessened the pressure on his hand. He said, “I just wanted to make you happy.”

The kittens were clearly brought back by him, and he wanted to raise them. Yu Haozhou, out of love for Zhou Zizheng, accepted it too and even loved the kittens more than he did.

He didn’t make it in time to be by Yu Haozhou’s side when he mistakenly thought the cat was in trouble. Yu Haozhou, who was panicking inside, still had to remain calm, racing against time while also having to think about how to bring the subject up to him.

The phone call finally connected. Yet, he offered no comfort, only caring about the cat’s life or death, forgetting to comfort the person whose hands and entire body went cold the moment he realized the cat might have eaten chocolate.

He couldn’t interfere with the cat’s life or death, but he could influence Yu Haozhou’s emotions. He had clearly heard him choking up on the phone, but he was still fixated on getting his answer. Despite being scared out of his wits, Yu Haozhou still changed his previous disdain and comforted him in a gentle voice.

When did Yu Haozhou’s love permeate every corner of his life? It was he who first spoke of love, yet the one fully embodying that word now seemed to be Yu Haozhou. Zhou Zizheng felt a little ridiculous.

“How can you think I’m not happy?” Yu Haozhou snorted. “The cats escaped death; aren’t you happy? Plus, they are so well-behaved.”

The last time they came to the hospital, they hadn’t even done anything, yet the cats were already terrified. But this time, perhaps the kittens sensed Yu Haozhou’s panic.

One by one, when the doctor held them down on the table, they were very obedient and didn’t squirm. They just stared at him with their round eyes, which softened Yu Haozhou’s heart, making him want to give them everything good.

“I want to make you happier.”

Zhou Zizheng pursed his lips, seemingly determined to compensate for that slap. He said with a slightly unnatural expression, “You’ve always wanted that, haven’t you? I’ll satisfy you, okay?”

Yu Haozhou knew he hadn’t completely calmed down yet and didn’t intend to argue with him. He lowered his head to tease the little orange cat sleeping peacefully in his arms: “Fine. You can owe me for now. We’ll talk about it when I’m in the mood.”

Zhou Zizheng secretly let out a sigh of relief: “Okay.”

…

Zhou Zizheng has become a different person. He’s less annoying than before, more gentle, and also more clingy. Yu Haozhou somewhat misses the old Zhou Zizheng, who would occasionally try to show off to him.

Yu Haozhou felt that bickering with him back then was a great joy in life. Now, it’s all gone. Zhou Zizheng obeys him unconditionally. Before doing anything, he must first ask for his opinion. If Yu Haozhou’s expression changes even slightly, he stops immediately.

Zhou Zizheng has also become thicker-skinned. Yu Haozhou was set to play games with friends, and he, a clueless noob, insisted on joining. His poor skill caused them to lose every round, dragging Yu Haozhou down to the point where his friends verbally abused them both. Yu Haozhou angrily threw his phone and told him not to play the next round.

Zhou Zizheng didn’t talk back. He just said, “Okay,” picked up the phone, and placed it back in Yu Haozhou’s hand.

Then, he retreated to the other side of the sofa, diligently practicing his skills. He looked so lonely and pathetic.

Yu Haozhou knew he was doing it on purpose, but he just couldn’t bear to see him look so pitiful. He stood his ground for less than two seconds before sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose: “Fine, fine. I’ll curse them to death.”

Zhou Zizheng immediately broke into a happy smile. He insisted on pulling Yu Haozhou into his arms, letting him lean against his chest, and played the game cuddled together: “I’ll cheer for my hubby.”

Yu Haozhou’s ears turned red, and he dared not speak. He had changed so much, but Yu Haozhou liked this change in him—this sticky, clingy affection that completely enveloped him in love, making him unwilling to be apart for even a second.

*

Xu Laizi’s matter had to be resolved eventually. Yu Haozhou was too anxious that day, but upon later reflection, he realized there must be some sort of history between Xu Laizi and Zhou Zizheng.

Zhou Zizheng swore he didn’t know anything and wanted to resolve it alone. Yu Haozhou thought about it and said, “Leave this matter to me. After all, we were friends. Some things need to be made clear.”

Zhou Zizheng was quite worried. He felt that Xu Laizi was a bit erratic, and her actions lacked common sense, making it impossible to predict her next move.

Zhou Zizheng was concerned for his safety and wanted to accompany him. Yu Haozhou said, “You going is the biggest risk.”

“She holds a strong grudge against you. She might do something rash when she sees you,” Yu Haozhou reassured him. “Don’t worry, in a public place, she won’t dare to do anything. Besides, I’m a grown man. What is there to be afraid of? If anything happens, I’ll call you immediately.”

Since it had come to this, Zhou Zizheng felt he had a point, but he was still worried. He mumbled into his embrace, “I’ll drive you there and wait outside, okay?”

Yu Haozhou played with his growing hair and said, “Okay.”

…

Plans can’t keep up with changes. Xu Laizi said she would only meet Yu Haozhou alone. If Zhou Zizheng was waiting nearby, she wouldn’t say a word.

Yu Haozhou hadn’t intended for Zhou Zizheng to get involved anyway, so he readily agreed to the request. After Zhou Zizheng found out, his anxiety increased: “Why go to such lengths? What is she trying to pull?”

Regardless of what she wanted to do, Yu Haozhou would keep the appointment to bring closure to this friendship.

Yu Haozhou drove himself there. On the way, he kept in contact with Zhou Zizheng via phone. Zhou Zizheng chattered away, saying to come back quickly after the talk, and then suggesting he could come pick him up after it was over.

He sounded exactly like an insecure child. Yu Haozhou truly felt he was exaggerating and said, somewhere between tears and laughter, “It’s not as scary as you imagine. We aren’t meeting somewhere really secretive.”

Zhou Zizheng clutched his chest: “My heart is pounding, and it feels awful.”

Yu Haozhou was expressionless: “It would be a problem if your heart wasn’t beating.”

Zhou Zizheng was about to say more, but Yu Haozhou had already arrived near the meeting spot. Through the windshield, he saw Xu Laizi, who had just arrived as well. She opened the door and entered the coffee shop, alone.

“I’ve arrived. I have to go.” Yu Haozhou took off his Bluetooth headset. “You go back to work.”

He decisively cut off Zhou Zizheng’s rambling. After quickly finding a parking spot, he opened the door and went inside. Xu Laizi had just finished ordering and was wiping her hands with the hot towel the waiter had brought.

Hearing the movement, she looked up and smiled sweetly: “Zhouzhou, you’re here.”

Yu Haozhou felt a momentary daze, as if no rift had ever formed between them, and this was just a normal meeting between friends. However, the frozen smile at the corner of Xu Laizi’s mouth immediately shattered this beautiful illusion.

Yu Haozhou took a deep breath before stepping in. There was also a towel placed in front of his seat. Yu Haozhou glanced at it, picked it up to wipe his hands, then wiped his nose, and put it aside.

Xu Laizi said, “The towel might be cool. Would you like a fresh one?”

Yu Haozhou figured she was trying to stall before getting to the main topic, but Yu Haozhou didn’t want to wait. He was afraid the person at the company would be anxious: “It’s fine. Just get straight to the point. Let’s not waste time.”

Xu Laizi gave a bitter smile: “Zhouzhou, do you think I’m a very bad person?”

Yu Haozhou frowned, offering no comment.

“If you knew what I’ve been through—if you knew I was forced—could we still be friends?”