“Su Xiao Mi?”
“No, please don’t call me Su Xiao Mi. I’m planning to change my name to Su Moneybags,” Su Xiao Mi said seriously. A beautiful hand pushed the back of his head. “Greet people properly.” Mai Ding looked toward the voice. Time itself seemed too intimidated to leave any mark on that face, and even the air seemed unwilling to obstruct the charm radiating from him. His appearance was far too distinctive for Mai Ding to mistake him. It was Yan Yan. If you saw someone like Yan Yan or An Zi Yan walking down the street, you would curse heaven for making looks so unfairly distributed.
Seeing Mai Ding’s stunned expression, Su Xiao Mi tilted his head. “Didn’t An Zi Yan tell you we were coming?” The city they had traveled to for work was the city where Su Xiao Mi lived? Mai Ding’s slow brain had never once connected those two facts. Naturally, he was too embarrassed to admit that now. Knowing Su Xiao Mi’s weakness very well, Mai Ding said, “Of course I knew you were coming. I’m just shocked that you’ve somehow gotten even more handsome.”
“Ahahaha, obviously. What else am I supposed to do besides keep getting more handsome? My lifelong pursuit is to become more handsome every day. Think about our slogan back in Sanya: We’re handsome guys! We’re macho men!” Su Xiao Mi swallowed the compliment exactly as expected, his face practically glowing with pride. At his reminder, all the stupid things Mai Ding had desperately tried to forget flashed through his mind one after another. So stupid. Truly, painfully stupid. He swore he would never fall for Su Xiao Mi’s nonsense again. Yan Yan walked into the room, and An Zi Yan lifted one hand in greeting. Yan Yan glanced at An Zi Yan’s arm. “What happened to your arm?”
“A dog bit me.”
Su Xiao Mi looked at the wound too, then turned toward Mai Ding. “How could you bite someone? Even if the two of you had a fight, you can’t bite him that badly.” Mai Ding’s eyes widened and his voice rose without warning. “It wasn’t me! A dog bit him!” When Su Xiao Mi still looked doubtful, Mai Ding felt the blood in his chest ready to burst out. “A real dog! The kind covered in fur!”
“So it really was a dog. I misunderstood you. I thought An Zi Yan was insulting you.” Su Xiao Mi patted Mai Ding’s shoulder without the slightest trace of apology. Mai Ding pointed furiously at An Zi Yan. “This is all your fault. You never say anything nice about me, so everyone misunderstands.” His complaint never reached An Zi Yan. The two conversations in the room had already divided the space very clearly into two halves: An Zi Yan and Yan Yan on one side, Mai Ding and Su Xiao Mi on the other. Their side of the room might as well have had a sign hanging over it: Ordinary People Keep Out.
Go pose for a pretty-boy magazine, both of you!
“Don’t bother with them,” Su Xiao Mi said in the tone of a mature adult.
“You couldn’t do anything about them even if you tried.”
“Kid, don’t underestimate me. When we’re out, I’m only letting Yan save face. At home, if he dares provoke me, I immediately make him kneel and beg me to spare him.”
“Then why did your voice suddenly get so quiet?”
“As an outstanding actor, naturally I have to protect my voice.” Su Xiao Mi deliberately changed the subject and leaned in mysteriously. “I’ll tell you a secret.”
“What secret?”
“A method for controlling Yan. I think the same method would work on An Zi Yan too.”
“Seriously?” Mai Ding almost believed Su Xiao Mi again. Luckily, reason dragged him back in time. “I don’t believe you.” Su Xiao Mi grew anxious. “It’s true, true, true.” Whenever he got excited, he had a habit of repeating himself three times. Seeing that Mai Ding still refused to believe him, Su Xiao Mi decided to prove it through action. “Watch carefully.”
Su Xiao Mi walked behind Yan Yan, glanced back to signal Mai Ding, then smacked Yan Yan’s arm and ran back to Mai Ding. It was behavior barely above kindergarten level, childish to an unbelievable degree. Apparently time had never bothered with Su Xiao Mi’s brain either. He repeated the same thing four times. Mai Ding could only conclude that Su Xiao Mi had a death wish. On the fifth attempt, Yan Yan finally turned and stared at him without expression. Su Xiao Mi must have eaten a mountain of courage before coming over, because he still smacked Yan Yan’s arm again. Yan Yan lifted his wrist. Mai Ding thought Su Xiao Mi was about to get beaten, but Yan Yan merely took out a cigarette and caught it between his beautiful lips. “You have too much free time?” That was it? No beating, just one bland sentence?
An Zi Yan made no attempt to find out what stupid thing Mai Ding and Su Xiao Mi were doing now. He did not want to know in the slightest. Still leaning against the bed in exactly the same position, he said, “I’m starting to feel sorry for you.” Yan Yan lit his cigarette. “You should probably understand your own situation before feeling sorry for anyone else.”
Seeing Yan Yan talking to An Zi Yan as though nothing had happened, Mai Ding finally had no choice but to believe Su Xiao Mi. When Su Xiao Mi strutted back smugly, Mai Ding immediately changed his form of address. “Teacher Su, what method did you use to change Yan Yan’s attitude toward you? Tell me too.” Su Xiao Mi looked at Mai Ding’s desperate face, cleared his throat, and waved a hand. “Calm down, calm down. Do you know how many years it took me to comprehend this? Even though we’re friends, still…” He trailed off, frowning as though placed in an extremely difficult position.
“You mean…”
“You have to show a little sincerity.” Su Xiao Mi rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, wearing the face of a corrupt official.
“Ten bags of snacks.” Mai Ding held up ten fingers, wearing the face of someone offering a bribe.
“Fifteen. I can’t go any lower.” The attitude of a market vendor.
“Twelve. Life isn’t easy for me either. Prices keep going up.” The attitude of a customer haggling over vegetables.
They finally settled on thirteen bags. Mai Ding was just preparing to listen with complete attention when the lesson was interrupted because they were changing locations and heading to Yan Yan’s home. He would have to wait a little longer. They got into Yan Yan’s car. Su Xiao Mi immediately started complaining that An Zi Yan had taken his passenger seat. Mai Ding looked around the car and saw that it was full of Su Xiao Mi’s food. Half-eaten snack bags were stuffed everywhere. Based on what Mai Ding knew of Yan Yan, he should have been grabbing Su Xiao Mi by the ear and ordering him to clean up. Unbelievable. What secret had Su Xiao Mi discovered? It might not have made Yan Yan completely obedient, but the effect was already impressive. If it worked on An Zi Yan too, then Mai Ding was about to enter an entirely new era!