Chu Yifeng had originally intended to surprise Wang Cheng, but he had not expected Wang Cheng to come to the apartment without warning. The surprise failing did not matter. The two had a thoroughly satisfying fight instead. Just as it looked as though the rest of the night was about to be spent in bed, Wang Cheng abruptly hit the brakes and pushed him away.
“Since when did you change your species?” Wang Cheng wiped his mouth. His lips were already red and swollen. Chu Yifeng had really sucked hard.
Chu Yifeng stared at his lips, the desire in his eyes not yet completely faded. Hearing the question, he sighed. “With beauty right in front of me, I wouldn’t mind turning into a beast.”
Wang Cheng grabbed a sofa cushion and threw it at him. “Beast!”
“Mm.” Chu Yifeng caught the cushion, looking rather pleased with himself.
Wang Cheng stood. “I’m meeting Fang Tian tonight. He and Brother Zhang’s group are going to a newly opened bar at seven-thirty. Want to come?”
“Yes.”
“Is there food in the fridge?” Wang Cheng asked as he took off his coat.
Chu Yifeng accepted the coat from him. “Yes.” Once he decided to come over, he had notified Aunt Liu in advance and asked her to clean the apartment and refill the refrigerator. He had originally planned to make do with some frozen dumplings for dinner.
Wang Cheng went upstairs, changed into a light-gray set of home clothes, then came back down, rolled up his sleeves, and went into the kitchen. Since they needed to go out at seven-thirty, eating too late would leave them rushed.
He took the ingredients he needed from the refrigerator. They had only been put inside recently, so the meat had not yet frozen solid. Wang Cheng tossed it directly into the sink. Before long, Chu Yifeng came in with his sleeves rolled up too. He was about to put both hands into the sink when Wang Cheng stopped him and told him to wait.
“How many times have I told you? If you’re going to help, remember to put these on first.” Wang Cheng found a new pair of gloves in the cabinet along with an apron Aunt Liu had washed clean. Only after fully equipping Chu Yifeng did he let him touch anything.
Chu Yifeng did not argue. Of course he remembered. He had only wanted Wang Cheng to put everything on him. Before meeting Wang Cheng, he had never experienced this warm, domestic feeling of living with another man. With two parents who were rarely home and a house full of servants, how could he ever have experienced it?
Wang Cheng first put four washed tomatoes into boiling water. Once they had cooked long enough, he took them out, peeled them, and cut them into small pieces. Then he took four eggs from the refrigerator. Chu Yifeng leaned over.
“Making scrambled eggs with tomatoes?”
This was not Wang Cheng’s first time making the dish. Compared with sweet tomato soup, both of them preferred tomatoes with scrambled eggs. The blend of sweet, salty, and sour flavors could, in a certain sense, also be called “strong-flavored.”
“Boss Chu, interested in taking charge of the stove yourself for once?” Wang Cheng suddenly suggested. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes was a relatively easy dish. The steps were simple, and as long as one had a basic sense of heat control, the technical difficulty was beginner level.
“Then I’ll try.” Chu Yifeng dried his hands and took the eggs from Wang Cheng.
The four eggs first needed to be cracked into a large bowl and beaten evenly with a whisk, but trouble appeared at the very first step because he did not know how to crack an egg. He used too much force on the first one and smashed it against the rim of the bowl until the shell shattered. Wang Cheng demonstrated with one egg. The second attempt went much better. Chu Yifeng still got egg white all over one hand, but by the remaining eggs he had gained some experience.
The beaten eggs went into the pan. With Wang Cheng reminding him what to do, Chu Yifeng awkwardly moved the eggs around. They certainly did not look as neat as when Wang Cheng cooked them. Without needing any deliberate chopping, they broke themselves into uneven pieces, pale yellow with a little browning around the edges. They still looked reasonably appetizing.
Wang Cheng lowered the heat and handed him a plate. “Take the eggs out first.”
Sweat had already appeared on Chu Yifeng’s forehead. Watching Wang Cheng cook had always made it look easy. Only after doing it himself did he understand that it seemed easy because someone else was doing the work.
With Wang Cheng guiding him, Chu Yifeng eventually stumbled his way through a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. It actually looked decent. Wang Cheng picked up a piece of tomato with his chopsticks and held it to Chu Yifeng’s mouth. Chu Yifeng frowned faintly but opened his mouth and ate it.
“How is it?”
“Not as good as yours.”
He had probably added too much sugar. The sweetness almost completely covered the saltiness.
Wang Cheng tasted a bite himself and laughed. “I think it’s fine. Doing this well your first time means you have more talent than plenty of people. Interested in learning to cook from me?”
“Having you is enough.” Chu Yifeng still had no real interest in cooking.
Wang Cheng did not force him. It had only been a whim. Once the main cook switched back, everything sped up considerably. By the time Wang Cheng finished stir-frying several dishes, the rice cooker had finished too. There was no time to make congee. If congee was rushed without letting the rice soften properly, the grains stayed half-hard and the texture was poor, so Wang Cheng made winter-melon and shrimp soup instead. The shrimp were large. He peeled them down to plump pieces of meat, and the mild winter melon combined with the shrimp into a pleasantly flavorful broth.
By the time they finished eating, it was already six. Their stomachs were very full, which meant they probably would not eat much once they went out.
Wang Cheng had not told the others he would be bringing someone with him. He planned to surprise them. One extra person in the group would not cause any problem anyway.
When the time came, the two got ready and left.
Bar Street was one of the more famous places in Shanhai City. Plenty of young night owls came there once evening fell. Worth mentioning was the red-light district nearby, an area filled with places devoted to sensual entertainment. Its reputation for cleanliness was poor. People who valued their safety and simply wanted to enjoy a bar generally did not go there. The nighttime bustle had already begun when Wang Cheng parked outside New New World and got out with Chu Yifeng.
Just as Fang Tian had said, New New World’s sign really was huge and dazzling. Wang Cheng had spotted it soon after entering Bar Street. The place was lively too. There were attendants outside, people constantly going in and out, and both the service and the exterior décor looked relatively upscale.
Wang Cheng called Fang Tian and said he had arrived. At the same time, he mentioned that he had brought one more person. Fang Tian assumed it was simply a friend and did not ask any questions. He told Wang Cheng to wait because he would come out immediately to meet them.
Fang Tian did not keep them waiting long. Wang Cheng had only leaned against the car and exchanged a few words with Chu Yifeng when Fang Tian appeared at the bar entrance. Wang Cheng waved to him. Fang Tian ran over with a broad smile, already lifting a hand to slap Wang Cheng on the shoulder, when he suddenly noticed the boss standing behind him. His whole body jolted.
“B-boss?”
Fang Tian stared at the tall man in shock, then immediately glared at Wang Cheng. He was bringing the boss and had not said a word in advance? Too cruel!
Wang Cheng laughed. “Why are you glaring at me? Don’t tell me you don’t welcome your boss.”
“Of course not. If the boss is willing to honor us by coming, we couldn’t be happier.” Fang Tian practically ground his teeth. Could he possibly say otherwise?
That bastard Wang Cheng. Does he think everyone is like him? The boss indulges him, not the rest of us.
“Let’s talk inside,” Chu Yifeng said.
Fang Tian did not dare disobey and quickly led them in. The gathering consisted entirely of the veteran employees from the company’s early days. Only Uncle Gao Yongfu had not come. Cheng Cheng had been invited because Fang Tian knew he was in a bad mood and wanted to get him out of the house. When the boss appeared, most people wore exactly the same expression Fang Tian had. Fang Tian instantly felt much more balanced.
The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive at first, but it quickly returned to normal. Zhang Yiheng and the others had strong nerves. It was after work, so they did not keep placing themselves in the position of subordinates the way they would at the office. Before long, they were chatting with the boss.
Wang Cheng poured two glasses of ice-cold beer. He had not drunk cheap beer like this in a long time and missed that icy, refreshing sensation. He handed the other glass to Chu Yifeng. Chu Yifeng drank only half. The others assumed he disliked cold beer. Fang Tian poured him red wine instead, but he barely drank that either.
Fang Tian dragged Wang Cheng into a corner. “Wang Cheng, is the boss in a bad mood? Does he not like this kind of gathering?”
“How could that be? If he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t have come out with me,” Wang Cheng said.
“Then why isn’t the boss drinking?”
“Are you stupid? If he drinks, how is he supposed to drive?” Wang Cheng said as though it were obvious. “We only brought one car. If he drinks too, who’s going to drive us home?” The fact that Chu Yifeng had not stopped Wang Cheng from drinking made the arrangement obvious.
Fang Tian realized he had asked a stupid question. The relationship between the two appeared even more stable than he had imagined.
Wang Cheng had no interest in wasting time chatting nonsense with him. He moved over beside Cheng Cheng, who was sitting there drinking gloomily. All this suffering over one woman. “Cheng Cheng, there’s no obstacle in this world you can’t get past. Treat it like you tripped by accident. Get back up. There are still beautiful women waiting ahead of you.”
Cheng Cheng lifted his head and looked at him resentfully. “Brother Cheng, I don’t want beautiful women anymore.”
His girlfriend had been quite pretty herself. Precisely because she was attractive, she had managed to hook up with a rich second-generation man so quickly.
“Fine, no beauties. Next time, let’s find someone who cares about home and knows how to manage a household. Actually, you should consider yourself lucky. Good thing you found out what she was really like before you married her. Otherwise you’d not only have to get divorced, you might even have to split your property with her. What a loss.” Wang Cheng thought to himself that it was fortunate he had found Chu Yifeng.
The logic was somewhat comforting, but Cheng Cheng still wanted to cry. They had been together for several years, and he had genuinely loved his girlfriend. He had spent all that time planning their future. Now it had disappeared just like that, and he simply could not get over it yet. Still, Brother Cheng was right about one thing. He could not keep tormenting himself like this.
“Brother Cheng, don’t worry. I’m actually okay now. I just sometimes remember the days we were together and can’t quite get out of them. Give me a little more time and I should be fine.” Cheng Cheng put down his glass. “I’m going to the restroom.”
“All right. We’ll drink again when you get back.”
Zhang Yiheng came over and dragged Wang Cheng into a finger-guessing drinking game. Wang Cheng played with him for a while, then looked around and realized Cheng Cheng still had not returned. He had been gone at least ten minutes. Had he somehow gotten lost?
Wang Cheng told Zhang Yiheng he was stepping out and went to look for Cheng Cheng. The restroom was not far from their private room. Wang Cheng crossed the corridor and turned the corner, spotting it at the end. Cheng Cheng was not inside. The distance was so short and there were not many turns. Getting lost should have been impossible. Even if he somehow had, he could simply call or ask an attendant for directions.
Bang!
A private room diagonally across from him suddenly produced the sound of something heavy slamming into the door. It snapped Wang Cheng out of his thoughts. No other sound followed. He stared at the door for several seconds, then strode over and kicked it hard.
Someone seemed to be standing behind it. Their body failed to withstand the force and was struck heavily by the door, which bounced back as the person pitched forward. Wang Cheng kicked again. With a loud bang, the door finally opened far enough for him to see inside.
The noisy private room fell instantly silent. More than a dozen pairs of eyes turned in unison toward Wang Cheng in the doorway. He ignored their expressions. His gaze landed on Cheng Cheng, sprawled in the middle of the room. One person still had a foot planted on him. Wang Cheng’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Fuck, who the hell are you?”
The man closest to him tossed the cigarette between his fingers onto the floor, crushed it underfoot, and shouted viciously at Wang Cheng.
Wang Cheng clenched both fists, his knuckles cracking. Without another word, he punched the man directly in the face. “I’m your fucking uncle!”
The man screamed and collapsed to the floor, stars exploding across his vision. He could not get back up. Wang Cheng’s fist had been heavy. Within seconds, half his face had already begun swelling, though the dim lighting in the room made it hard for anyone to see clearly.
Seeing that someone had come looking for a fight, the man’s companions immediately abandoned Cheng Cheng and rushed Wang Cheng. Five or six of them tried to gang up on him at once. The rest stayed back with expressions of people watching a show. They soon learned exactly why Wang Cheng had dared enter the room alone.
Solid fists slammed into their stomachs. They ended up even worse than the first man. Some vomited the alcohol they had just drunk and nearly brought up bile with it. The sight was disgusting enough that several girls screamed.
Wang Cheng helped Cheng Cheng up. “Cheng Cheng, are you okay?”
Cheng Cheng opened the eye that had not been swollen shut. When he saw Wang Cheng, he almost burst into tears. “Brother Cheng, why are you here?”
“You were gone for so long that I got worried you’d gotten lost and came looking for you. Then I realized you couldn’t possibly get lost. I happened to hear a noise from this room.”
Wang Cheng straightened Cheng Cheng’s wrinkled clothes. Someone appeared to have poured alcohol over them, leaving him filthy from head to toe. Wang Cheng’s anger rose again. “What exactly happened? Do you have some grudge against these people?”
Cheng Cheng did not answer immediately. He looked toward the sofa, hatred in his eyes.
Wang Cheng followed his gaze. Several men and women were sitting over there. None seemed nervous even after watching him beat people down. One of them actually sneered when Wang Cheng looked their way. Wang Cheng ignored him and shifted his attention to the man and woman seated in the center.