Chapter 9
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The next morning, Liu Cheng was startled when he stepped out of his bedroom. Of course, this didn’t mean he was easily frightened—he just wasn’t used to the sight of someone preparing breakfast for him in the living room.
Wait, on second thought, this situation wasn’t entirely new. Liu Cheng, who often had lovers stay over, recalled that he had boyfriends who would make breakfast for him, including Gu Qingqiu, who would sometimes buy breakfast and wait for him to eat together.
But Liu Cheng had never experienced this: waking up to find Sun Chen, wearing an apron and exuding a homely vibe, waiting for him with breakfast already set on the table.
Liu Cheng stared in bewilderment at Sun Chen, who was standing by the dining table. “You made breakfast for me?”
Sun Chen nodded and instructed, “Hurry up and brush your teeth, then come eat breakfast. I also need to apologize to you.”
“Apologize?”
“Yes.”
“For what?”
“I’ll explain while I’m apologizing.”
“Can’t you just give me a little preview now?” Liu Cheng couldn’t help his curiosity. It seemed Sun Chen didn’t see him as human at all.
Facing Liu Cheng’s near-complaint, Sun Chen hesitated for a moment. “But that’s not how I planned it.” His tone was somewhere between emotionless and innocent.
Liu Cheng could only sigh. “Alright, I’ll go brush my teeth,” he said, taking another look at Sun Chen, who was standing by his dining table. A strange sense of contentment quickly replaced his earlier frustration. “Wait for me, and don’t start eating without me, okay?” he joked, then hurried off to wash up.
In reality, breakfast was just a few microwaveable items Sun Chen had found in Liu Cheng’s fridge. Normally, Liu Cheng didn’t like these things and rarely ate them, which was why his fridge was stocked with them by the house staff. Liu Cheng had always thought that frozen dumplings and the like, heated up in a microwave, weren’t real food—until that morning. Suddenly, he realized that maybe he’d been prejudiced all along. If it weren’t for his concern that Sun Chen might be hungry, he might have eaten everything on the table.
When Liu Cheng was nearly finished eating, Sun Chen finally spoke up.
“Liu Cheng, I’m really sorry. Last night, I went through your trash.”
The sudden statement made Liu Cheng look up at him suspiciously. “Why would you go through my trash?”
Sun Chen calmly and seriously continued, “In your trash, I found used toothbrushes, towels, and even pajamas, so it seems you were telling the truth. After we fought the other night and you kicked me out, you threw away all my things. The fact that your house staff would air out the extra blankets, and the signs that more than one person was using the rooms, also indicates that you’re not living alone—I’m sorry, Liu Cheng. I was suspicious before. It just seemed strange to me that I had nothing, and the fact that the only injury I had from the robbery was on the back of my head didn’t make sense. I hope you can forgive me. Maybe it’s because I’ve lost my memory, but I’ve been overly suspicious. However, I shouldn’t have investigated your trash behind your back.”
Liu Cheng, who could usually make quick decisions in business negotiations, took a long moment to process what Sun Chen was saying. When he finally understood, he broke out in a cold sweat.
In all their interactions the previous day, Liu Cheng hadn’t noticed any sign that Sun Chen was suspicious, but in reality, Sun Chen hadn’t believed his story at all. In retrospect, even Sun Chen’s questions about which toothpaste flavor he liked while they were at the supermarket were likely tests. Sun Chen had pretended to go to bed early to get Liu Cheng out of the way so he could investigate.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that Liu Cheng had stayed up the night before, cleaning out everything that Gu Qingqiu had used and throwing it away, Sun Chen might have already been on the verge of uncovering his lies.
Fortunately, his luck had worked in his favor, and Sun Chen now believed him.
To cover his tracks, Liu Cheng casually asked, “You think a thief would knock you out and steal everything just because you had a designer suitcase and clothes—so that’s why you didn’t believe me?”
Sun Chen shook his head. “It was also your attitude. Losing your phone is one thing, but you didn’t mention canceling any cards or replacing your ID. It didn’t add up.”
“So why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I was suspicious of you. I couldn’t point out what was suspicious about your behavior.”
Well, now you’re being incredibly honest.
Liu Cheng quickly came up with an explanation. “You bought your phone card without registering it, so you couldn’t get a replacement—even if you had, you don’t have any other friends to contact besides me. I figured I’d just buy you a new phone. As for the cards, you only had supplementary cards for my credit accounts, which I’ve already canceled. And for the ID, I have friends who can help with that—just a phone call away. Xiao Chen, I hope you understand that these are all minor details. As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”
Sun Chen quietly observed Liu Cheng, clearly moved by his words. Liu Cheng continued, “To put your mind at ease, let me add something else. Maybe you don’t remember, but the watch you’re wearing costs over 100,000 yuan. I don’t know why the thief didn’t take it—maybe they were in a hurry, or maybe someone else was nearby? The point is, Xiao Chen, there are many things in this world that don’t follow strict logic. Please don’t let these insignificant details make you doubt me, because I’m the person who cares about you the most in this world, and I can’t stand being doubted by you.”
“I’m sorry, Liu Cheng,” Sun Chen said, and in his eyes, usually so deep and inscrutable, there was now a hint of guilt and remorse.
“It’s alright, Xiao Chen,” Liu Cheng said, holding Sun Chen’s hand on the table. “I’m also the person in this world who will forgive you unconditionally, no matter what.”
After a moment of silent understanding, Sun Chen’s face, which often appeared too delicate to show much emotion, softened into a slight but dazzling smile. “So, how did we meet?”
Yesterday, Sun Chen hadn’t asked Liu Cheng anything about their past, clearly thinking that there was no point in asking if he wouldn’t believe the answers. But now, it seemed he genuinely wanted to know the story of how he and Liu Cheng had met.
Liu Cheng couldn’t help but smile at the memory. “The first time I saw you, you were scolding someone. I’d never seen someone so,” he paused, choosing his words carefully, “so good-looking.”
“Don’t you watch TV?” Sun Chen replied instinctively.
Liu Cheng couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m complimenting you, not giving you a logic puzzle.”
Sun Chen nodded. “I know you think I’m good-looking. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be supporting me.”
Liu Cheng wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
Sun Chen was much more open than he had been the day before. He had probably been trying to confirm this yesterday, but now he finally asked, “Do I really not have a job? Can I not find work?”
Liu Cheng shifted slightly in his chair. “Actually, you did have a job, but because of me, you lost it. Don’t think of it as me supporting you—it’s really my fault. I’m the reason you lost your job.”
“Why haven’t I found another job?”
“You’re a theoretical physicist; it’s hard to find work.”
Sun Chen agreed. “Life is harsh.”
Liu Cheng couldn’t help but notice that this was the second time Sun Chen had used that phrase. Was it a catchphrase of his?
“What happened next?” Sun Chen asked.
Liu Cheng was confused. “What do you mean, ‘next’?”
“You said when we first met, I was scolding someone. So how did we get to know each other?”
He couldn’t exactly say that he had gone over to hug the person Sun Chen was scolding and then proceeded to insult Sun Chen.
After thinking it over, Liu Cheng confidently put down his chopsticks. “There’s no point in talking about things you don’t remember. Since you’ve forgotten, let’s start over from scratch! I could pursue you a thousand times and never get tired of it.”
Sun Chen looked at him knowingly. “Did you steal that line from a song?”
“What?”
“‘I could read you a thousand times and never get tired of it.’”
Sun Chen sang the line. It wasn’t particularly melodious, but Liu Cheng’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “You can sing?!” It was like discovering that a robot could ride a bike—biking itself wasn’t impressive, but seeing a robot do it was incredible.
It made the “robot” seem oddly endearing.
Liu Cheng couldn’t stop smiling as he looked at Sun Chen. “Sing a few more lines?”
“I sell my body, not my talent.”
Liu Cheng didn’t even bother trying to point out the absurdity of a supposedly amnesiac person remembering such an old song and such an old joke. Instead, he dramatically sighed. “You say that, but you won’t even kiss me. I really am the most pitiful lover.”
Sun Chen studied Liu Cheng thoughtfully for a long time. “Let’s go on a date today.”
It was clear that Sun Chen was trying his best, searching earnestly for a way to “get comfortable” so that they could move forward. Liu Cheng’s mood brightened, and he felt a wave of excitement. “Yes, let’s start over from the beginning. After breakfast, we’ll go buy a phone and clothes, then see a movie in the afternoon, and go to karaoke. You don’t want to perform, but I’ll sing for you.” As he said this, Liu Cheng made up his mind that he would get Sun Chen to sing for him.
Although he’d had many lovers, Liu Cheng had never really gone on a proper date, and now he was seriously planning their day together.
Little did he know that their day as a couple would later turn into a double date.